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Auxiliary: London 2039
The silicon revolution left Dremmler behind, but a good detective is never obsolete.
London is quiet in 2039—thanks to the machines. People stay indoors, communicating through high-tech glasses and gorging on simulated reality while 3D printers and scuttling robots cater to their every whim. Mammoth corporations wage war for dominance in a world where human augmentation blurs the line between flesh and steel.
And at the center of it all lurks The Imagination Machine: the hyper-advanced, omnipresent AI that drives our cars, flies our planes, cooks our food, and plans our lives. Servile, patient, tireless … TIM has everything humanity requires. Everything except a soul.
Through this silicon jungle prowls Carl Dremmler, police detective—one of the few professions better suited to meat than machine. His latest case: a grisly murder seemingly perpetrated by the victim’s boyfriend. Dremmler’s boss wants a quick end to the case, but the tech-wary detective can’t help but believe the accused’s bizarre story: that his robotic arm committed the heinous crime, not him. An advanced prosthetic, controlled by a chip in his skull.
A chip controlled by TIM.
Dremmler smells blood: the seeds of a conspiracy that could burn London to ash unless he exposes the truth. His investigation pits him against desperate criminals, scheming businesswomen, deadly automatons—and the nightmares of his own past. And when Dremmler finds himself questioning even TIM’s inscrutable motives, he’s forced to stare into the blank soul of the machine.
Auxiliary is gripping, unpredictable, and bleakly atmospheric—ideal for fans of cyberpunk classics like the Blade Runner movies, Richard K. Morgan’s Altered Carbon, William Gibson’s Neuromancer, and the Netflix original series Black Mirror.
London is quiet in 2039—thanks to the machines. People stay indoors, communicating through high-tech glasses and gorging on simulated reality while 3D printers and scuttling robots cater to their every whim. Mammoth corporations wage war for dominance in a world where human augmentation blurs the line between flesh and steel.
And at the center of it all lurks The Imagination Machine: the hyper-advanced, omnipresent AI that drives our cars, flies our planes, cooks our food, and plans our lives. Servile, patient, tireless … TIM has everything humanity requires. Everything except a soul.
Through this silicon jungle prowls Carl Dremmler, police detective—one of the few professions better suited to meat than machine. His latest case: a grisly murder seemingly perpetrated by the victim’s boyfriend. Dremmler’s boss wants a quick end to the case, but the tech-wary detective can’t help but believe the accused’s bizarre story: that his robotic arm committed the heinous crime, not him. An advanced prosthetic, controlled by a chip in his skull.
A chip controlled by TIM.
Dremmler smells blood: the seeds of a conspiracy that could burn London to ash unless he exposes the truth. His investigation pits him against desperate criminals, scheming businesswomen, deadly automatons—and the nightmares of his own past. And when Dremmler finds himself questioning even TIM’s inscrutable motives, he’s forced to stare into the blank soul of the machine.
Auxiliary is gripping, unpredictable, and bleakly atmospheric—ideal for fans of cyberpunk classics like the Blade Runner movies, Richard K. Morgan’s Altered Carbon, William Gibson’s Neuromancer, and the Netflix original series Black Mirror.
223 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2020
8 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
About the author
Jon Richter
16 books41 followersJon Richter writes dark fiction in a variety of genres, including critically acclaimed crime thrillers, horror, science fiction and fantasy. His novels include gripping whodunnit mystery Rabbit Hole, psychological techno-thriller The Warden, the disturbing illustrated collection of short horror stories DARK FICTION, and his latest release, the fantasy epic Scarred.
He hails from the northwest of England but now lives in London with his (extremely patient) wife, and loves immersing himself in all things dark and sinister, whether that's books, films, music, video games or even board games – any way to tell a great story! As well as writing, he co-hosts two podcasts: the dark fiction podcast, Dark Natter, and the cyberpunk podcast, Hosts In The Shell, which you can find wherever you get your podcast fix.
He also develops video games and recently released his debut game, a comedy horror RPG called Reanimation Ltd, which you can download here: https://jonrichter.itch.io/reanimatio....
If you want to chat to him about any of this, you can find him on Twitter @richterwrites, Bluesky @jonrichter, or Instagram @jonrichterwrites. His website haunts the internet at www.jon-richter.com, and you can find his books available on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2OXXRVP.
He hails from the northwest of England but now lives in London with his (extremely patient) wife, and loves immersing himself in all things dark and sinister, whether that's books, films, music, video games or even board games – any way to tell a great story! As well as writing, he co-hosts two podcasts: the dark fiction podcast, Dark Natter, and the cyberpunk podcast, Hosts In The Shell, which you can find wherever you get your podcast fix.
He also develops video games and recently released his debut game, a comedy horror RPG called Reanimation Ltd, which you can download here: https://jonrichter.itch.io/reanimatio....
If you want to chat to him about any of this, you can find him on Twitter @richterwrites, Bluesky @jonrichter, or Instagram @jonrichterwrites. His website haunts the internet at www.jon-richter.com, and you can find his books available on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2OXXRVP.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
August 2, 2020
”TIM stood for ‘The Imagination Machine.’”
Doesn’t that sound great? Anything we could possibly desire, TIM can provide.
”With alarming, almost insidious speed, TIM had become ubiquitous; the go-to OS for almost everything. It flew the planes. It drove the cars. It answered the queries when you contacted customer services. It controlled the robotic surgeons that performed life-saving operations. It filed your tax returns. It delivered your food. It selected your music. It read your children bedtime stories.
And it ran the AltWorld. Whatever you wanted to see, or be, or do, or feel, or fuck. Real life had been made obsolete.”
Wait a minute, real life has become obsolete? What life I do have is virtual? I don’t have to deal with real people? Let’s be honest, people leave a lot to be desired. So even though my stomach is doing flip flops with concern, there is a part of me that is thinking, could the AltWorld download me into a massive library, served by a gorgeous, scantily clad, Asian woman with long legs and an asymmetrical haircut, who fetches me books and smokey scotch?
I bet TIM could do that.
So seductive, right? And I’m a hard leaning Luddite.
And with Universal Basic Income, which most of you probably first heard about from Andrew Yang, no one really has to work. After all, most of our jobs are devolving into mindless time-wasters that any basic robotic unit could do better because the machine wouldn’t be watching the clock and daydreaming about being anywhere but there. ”Why are people so fucking obsessed with their work? Surely our species can do better than just finding jobs for everybody to pass the time. Isn’t our goal to have machines doing all the labour while we relax, create works of art, find ways to better ourselves.” That is a fascinating question. Can we? I know several of my friends and family who, during the extra time off from the recent quarantine, simply filled their time by sleeping more...twelve....fourteen hours a day. Not exactly applying themselves to creative works of art. When did we become so obsessed with sleep? Would many people with access to an AltWorld simply go into the virtual world to sleep?
Color me cynical.
Deckard (wait, did I say Deckard?), I meant Dremmler, is an old-fashioned style detective who still believes in human detecting. I’ve read that in the future there will be very few police officers because there will be cameras in every nook and cranny, making it almost impossible for people to get away with committing crimes. Well, TIM has that covered, but somehow the world still has uses for a meat-suited detective, and as things go wiggy with the plot, we will discover why we want Dremmler out there, digging, poking, prodding, and making a nuisance of himself.
Dremmler has SPEX glasses that allow him to identify any person on the planet. An arrow points down at the head of anyone he is looking at, displaying their name. It sort of takes all the hardboiled glamour out of slipping the bartender a twenty and muttering, who’s the dame in red at the end of the bar?
Who just stabbed that man in the alley? Oh, that’s Donald Sump. Who is that running away from me? Why, that is Ann Bolter. TIM, where is Donald Sump right now? Okay, I’ll go pick him up. TIM, where is Ann Bolter? Getting jiggy with her boyfriend right now? Okay, I’ll give them a couple of minutes.
Dremmler has a partner named Petrovic, who is gender neutral. Petrovic uses ve and ver instead of he/she and him/her. Petrovic’s first name is an initial, eliminating all the gender speculation surrounding first names. Would it be that weird to be attracted to someone without being concerned about whether there is a one-eyed monster or a honey pot lurking beneath their clothes? I find ve and ver aesthetically pleasing as they roll off my tongue.
This sounds like a Matrix world without all the men in black and the flying, Lovecraftian krakens.
A robotic arm commits a grisly murder. The understandably distraught man attached to the arm insists he had no intention of crushing his girlfriend’s skull. The chip in his skull that moves the arm is controlled by TIM, so how is that possible? Malfunction? Was it hacked? TIM’s system is supposed to be unhackable, in fact infallible. For us to give over control of our entire lives to an OS system, we would need to be assured that there are fail safes for the fail safes.
Maybe the library and the asymmetrical haircut gal is really a chimera that is masquerading its terror. I guess I can fetch my own books from my library and pour my own scotch. *sigh*
Oh, and did I forget to mention there is some creature that is trying to eat Dremmler’s fucking face off? A wall-scaling, scurrying, creepy crawly. How the fuck does that freakishly terrifying thing get into people’s apartments? You know that 3D printer you always wanted? You might want to hold off on that for a while.
”Monsters reproducing.
Printers printing printers.
Each new horror that emerged, either from the window or from the belly of its cousin, had an increasingly outlandish design.”
How is this happening with TIM controlling everything? TIM needs Dremmler. Somehow this is happening outside the parameters of TIM’s guiding hand.
Dremmler needs help. He turns to the bodacious Jennifer Colquitt with the kaleidoscope eyes. To say he has the hots for her is a statement several hundred degrees too cool. Mount Vesuvius AD 79 lava-hot might be a more apt description. She works for a rival company that is creating an alternative to TIM. Is she real or is she Memorex? The real crappy part of all of this is he has to trust someone. He can’t do this alone, and he worries that his tech-wary head might be getting in the way of his investigation. He is either the worst guy for the job or the only guy who can save the world.
Jon Richter has taken the basic concept of a Blade Runner world and added more layers of potential terror. He addresses some social issues, which add nuances to this dark noir world, that go beyond what BR tried to address. 2039 is just around the corner, but it feels like a more accepting world than what we live in today. A let live type society. The only problem is, will our obsession with efficiency, with machine over meat, and with a need for living a deep fantasy life make us irrelevant? Do we really want to fuck toasters? Do we really want our lives to be given over to some...thing to manage? Are we done with real life?
This is an entertaining and fast paced book about a brilliant and frightening world. You won’t regret putting this on your reading list. You might even reevaluate the direction of your life. The future still remains to be written, but maybe this book will prove to be prophetic.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten and an Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/jeffreykeeten/
Doesn’t that sound great? Anything we could possibly desire, TIM can provide.
”With alarming, almost insidious speed, TIM had become ubiquitous; the go-to OS for almost everything. It flew the planes. It drove the cars. It answered the queries when you contacted customer services. It controlled the robotic surgeons that performed life-saving operations. It filed your tax returns. It delivered your food. It selected your music. It read your children bedtime stories.
And it ran the AltWorld. Whatever you wanted to see, or be, or do, or feel, or fuck. Real life had been made obsolete.”
Wait a minute, real life has become obsolete? What life I do have is virtual? I don’t have to deal with real people? Let’s be honest, people leave a lot to be desired. So even though my stomach is doing flip flops with concern, there is a part of me that is thinking, could the AltWorld download me into a massive library, served by a gorgeous, scantily clad, Asian woman with long legs and an asymmetrical haircut, who fetches me books and smokey scotch?
I bet TIM could do that.
So seductive, right? And I’m a hard leaning Luddite.
And with Universal Basic Income, which most of you probably first heard about from Andrew Yang, no one really has to work. After all, most of our jobs are devolving into mindless time-wasters that any basic robotic unit could do better because the machine wouldn’t be watching the clock and daydreaming about being anywhere but there. ”Why are people so fucking obsessed with their work? Surely our species can do better than just finding jobs for everybody to pass the time. Isn’t our goal to have machines doing all the labour while we relax, create works of art, find ways to better ourselves.” That is a fascinating question. Can we? I know several of my friends and family who, during the extra time off from the recent quarantine, simply filled their time by sleeping more...twelve....fourteen hours a day. Not exactly applying themselves to creative works of art. When did we become so obsessed with sleep? Would many people with access to an AltWorld simply go into the virtual world to sleep?
Color me cynical.
Deckard (wait, did I say Deckard?), I meant Dremmler, is an old-fashioned style detective who still believes in human detecting. I’ve read that in the future there will be very few police officers because there will be cameras in every nook and cranny, making it almost impossible for people to get away with committing crimes. Well, TIM has that covered, but somehow the world still has uses for a meat-suited detective, and as things go wiggy with the plot, we will discover why we want Dremmler out there, digging, poking, prodding, and making a nuisance of himself.
Dremmler has SPEX glasses that allow him to identify any person on the planet. An arrow points down at the head of anyone he is looking at, displaying their name. It sort of takes all the hardboiled glamour out of slipping the bartender a twenty and muttering, who’s the dame in red at the end of the bar?
Who just stabbed that man in the alley? Oh, that’s Donald Sump. Who is that running away from me? Why, that is Ann Bolter. TIM, where is Donald Sump right now? Okay, I’ll go pick him up. TIM, where is Ann Bolter? Getting jiggy with her boyfriend right now? Okay, I’ll give them a couple of minutes.
Dremmler has a partner named Petrovic, who is gender neutral. Petrovic uses ve and ver instead of he/she and him/her. Petrovic’s first name is an initial, eliminating all the gender speculation surrounding first names. Would it be that weird to be attracted to someone without being concerned about whether there is a one-eyed monster or a honey pot lurking beneath their clothes? I find ve and ver aesthetically pleasing as they roll off my tongue.
This sounds like a Matrix world without all the men in black and the flying, Lovecraftian krakens.
A robotic arm commits a grisly murder. The understandably distraught man attached to the arm insists he had no intention of crushing his girlfriend’s skull. The chip in his skull that moves the arm is controlled by TIM, so how is that possible? Malfunction? Was it hacked? TIM’s system is supposed to be unhackable, in fact infallible. For us to give over control of our entire lives to an OS system, we would need to be assured that there are fail safes for the fail safes.
Maybe the library and the asymmetrical haircut gal is really a chimera that is masquerading its terror. I guess I can fetch my own books from my library and pour my own scotch. *sigh*
Oh, and did I forget to mention there is some creature that is trying to eat Dremmler’s fucking face off? A wall-scaling, scurrying, creepy crawly. How the fuck does that freakishly terrifying thing get into people’s apartments? You know that 3D printer you always wanted? You might want to hold off on that for a while.
”Monsters reproducing.
Printers printing printers.
Each new horror that emerged, either from the window or from the belly of its cousin, had an increasingly outlandish design.”
How is this happening with TIM controlling everything? TIM needs Dremmler. Somehow this is happening outside the parameters of TIM’s guiding hand.
Dremmler needs help. He turns to the bodacious Jennifer Colquitt with the kaleidoscope eyes. To say he has the hots for her is a statement several hundred degrees too cool. Mount Vesuvius AD 79 lava-hot might be a more apt description. She works for a rival company that is creating an alternative to TIM. Is she real or is she Memorex? The real crappy part of all of this is he has to trust someone. He can’t do this alone, and he worries that his tech-wary head might be getting in the way of his investigation. He is either the worst guy for the job or the only guy who can save the world.
Jon Richter has taken the basic concept of a Blade Runner world and added more layers of potential terror. He addresses some social issues, which add nuances to this dark noir world, that go beyond what BR tried to address. 2039 is just around the corner, but it feels like a more accepting world than what we live in today. A let live type society. The only problem is, will our obsession with efficiency, with machine over meat, and with a need for living a deep fantasy life make us irrelevant? Do we really want to fuck toasters? Do we really want our lives to be given over to some...thing to manage? Are we done with real life?
This is an entertaining and fast paced book about a brilliant and frightening world. You won’t regret putting this on your reading list. You might even reevaluate the direction of your life. The future still remains to be written, but maybe this book will prove to be prophetic.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten and an Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/jeffreykeeten/
August 11, 2020
Detective Carl Dremmler and T Petrovic (ve/ver) are assigned the murder case of Letitia Karlikowska. They have the suspect, so it should be a wrap. But the perp is claiming his robotic arm was hijacked. Yikes! The case quickly morphs into more The two work under the radar as their captain tries keeping this case of the books. Think of the panic it could cause.
The world Richter created was realistic and immersive. It raised questions regarding scientific advancements and artificial intelligence while entertaining us with an action-packed case.
Dremmler was pulled from the pages of a Noir crime fiction novel. He is gritty, occasionally crude, and has a past that causes him anguish. He drinks too much, lives a solitary life, enjoys casual hookups and has a problem with authority. The author did a superb job of sharing his pain and past. I enjoyed how he threaded those details into the current case.
Secondary characters were detailed and unique. They helped create suspects, cast doubt and flesh out both our protagonist Carl and the world. All of this created a suspenseful and tight flow as the world-building unfolded seamlessly.
His partner is non-binary and referred to using ve/ver. The whole v thing threw me for a moment, but I quickly figured it out. We saw a cast of diverse characters that accepted at face value in this world. (at least they got something right)
This dark fiction is a blend of sci-fi, cyberpunk, and noir crime. I devoured Auxiliary: 2039 and look forward to more from this author. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
The world Richter created was realistic and immersive. It raised questions regarding scientific advancements and artificial intelligence while entertaining us with an action-packed case.
Dremmler was pulled from the pages of a Noir crime fiction novel. He is gritty, occasionally crude, and has a past that causes him anguish. He drinks too much, lives a solitary life, enjoys casual hookups and has a problem with authority. The author did a superb job of sharing his pain and past. I enjoyed how he threaded those details into the current case.
Secondary characters were detailed and unique. They helped create suspects, cast doubt and flesh out both our protagonist Carl and the world. All of this created a suspenseful and tight flow as the world-building unfolded seamlessly.
His partner is non-binary and referred to using ve/ver. The whole v thing threw me for a moment, but I quickly figured it out. We saw a cast of diverse characters that accepted at face value in this world. (at least they got something right)
This dark fiction is a blend of sci-fi, cyberpunk, and noir crime. I devoured Auxiliary: 2039 and look forward to more from this author. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
December 23, 2022
THE AUXILIARY: LONDON 2039 is a dark, seedy, and depressing story about a cyberpunk future as well as a broken/damaged detective investigating a murder. The thing is that I'm not actually complaining about these things. I am going to give The Auxiliary incredibly high praise for the fact that it is actually one of the few cyberpunk books that manages to succeed in matching the darkness of its source material.
Carl Dremmler is a fantastic character that actually is every bit the sad, pathetic man that audiences kept forgetting Rick Deckard was because he was played by Harrison Ford. No, Deckard is a scumbag who murders people he knows to be innocent thinking beings because it would be inconvenient to resist the police shaking him down.
While I'm not going to say Jon Richter manages to match Phillip K. Dick's even more despicable version of Deckard from DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP, there's being a really good boxer and boxing with Ali, but he manages to go the extra mile in creating someone who really is lost in the noir haze of his world without hitting, "I am a protagonist of detective fiction." Which is to say Carl Dremmler is believably sad and pathetic as a bachelor who lives alone in his apartment with his sex bot and terrified of the outside world that has left the majority of humanity behind.
The premise is London has been all but taken over by an integrated AI that now handles the entirety of the internet as well as everything linked to it. TIM AKA The Imagination Machine is supposedly not sentient but handles drone deliveries, electric cars, and all of your media preferences ranging from Rage Against the Machine to the latest K-Pop. I think 2039 is a bit too early but I'd state that the world is a somewhat believable one for 2069. In any case, I'm hardly one to complain since my favorite cyberpunk movie, Johnny Mnemonic, was set in the far off year of 2021.
Carl hates his job and has the somewhat cliche excuse of a dead child to explain why he's lost in a bitter self-destructive spiral of depression but this is the only misstep I think in an otherwise incredibly strong narrative. The case is also suitably intriguing where a man's cybernetic arm apparently murders his wife of its own accord. Can TIM be hacked? If so, does that present an existential threat to London's economy as well as way of life.
There's layers of corporate conspiracy, paranoia, religious fundamentalists, 3D printed bugs, assassinations, and other weirdness that works excellent for this story. The ending is also incredibly powerful and unexpected. I strongly recommend this story and think people who like dark, gritty, and dangerous sci-fi will enjoy it.
Carl Dremmler is a fantastic character that actually is every bit the sad, pathetic man that audiences kept forgetting Rick Deckard was because he was played by Harrison Ford. No, Deckard is a scumbag who murders people he knows to be innocent thinking beings because it would be inconvenient to resist the police shaking him down.
While I'm not going to say Jon Richter manages to match Phillip K. Dick's even more despicable version of Deckard from DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP, there's being a really good boxer and boxing with Ali, but he manages to go the extra mile in creating someone who really is lost in the noir haze of his world without hitting, "I am a protagonist of detective fiction." Which is to say Carl Dremmler is believably sad and pathetic as a bachelor who lives alone in his apartment with his sex bot and terrified of the outside world that has left the majority of humanity behind.
The premise is London has been all but taken over by an integrated AI that now handles the entirety of the internet as well as everything linked to it. TIM AKA The Imagination Machine is supposedly not sentient but handles drone deliveries, electric cars, and all of your media preferences ranging from Rage Against the Machine to the latest K-Pop. I think 2039 is a bit too early but I'd state that the world is a somewhat believable one for 2069. In any case, I'm hardly one to complain since my favorite cyberpunk movie, Johnny Mnemonic, was set in the far off year of 2021.
Carl hates his job and has the somewhat cliche excuse of a dead child to explain why he's lost in a bitter self-destructive spiral of depression but this is the only misstep I think in an otherwise incredibly strong narrative. The case is also suitably intriguing where a man's cybernetic arm apparently murders his wife of its own accord. Can TIM be hacked? If so, does that present an existential threat to London's economy as well as way of life.
There's layers of corporate conspiracy, paranoia, religious fundamentalists, 3D printed bugs, assassinations, and other weirdness that works excellent for this story. The ending is also incredibly powerful and unexpected. I strongly recommend this story and think people who like dark, gritty, and dangerous sci-fi will enjoy it.
August 5, 2020
Jon Richter shows a lot of promise in this dystopian murder mystery set in a dark, future London. The main character, detective Carl Dremmler, polices a world where pretty well everything is run by a blend of AI and the internet called TIM, where humanoid robots are commonplace and where total immersion gaming is so beguiling that players regular die, failing to emerge into the real world.
Things get intriguing when a man who murders his partner claims that his artificial arm attacked her of its own accord. Despite doubts from the police hierarchy and opposition from mega-IT companies, Dremmler and his partner begin to suspect the man is telling the truth and something dark is happening. Things get particularly interesting - and the writing particularly engaging - when Dremmler visits the mega factory where the artificial arm was created and sees a production line making what he had thought was a real person.
The book really takes off at this point. Admittedly, sometimes the concepts feel a little derivative: TIM feels awfully like HAL in 2001, to the extent at one point there's almost a recreation of the pod bay doors scene with Dremmler yelling 'Stop the Pod and open the door!' and TIM replying 'I cannot comply with your request at this time.' Dremmler himself is distinctly reminiscent of Rick Deckard in Blade Runner and there's a distinct echo of Susan Calvin from Asimov's I, Robot in a factory boss. However, this really only adds to the fun. I'd also say 2039 is far too soon for things to have changed this much from the present, especially in terms of the perfection of humanoid robots. But for about three quarters of the book, things were going really well.
At this point, it's as if the author got a bit bored with it and finished it off as quickly as possible. What had been an intriguingly ambiguous character suddenly becomes a straightforward evil Bond villain. We get clumsy writing such as 'They ran. But the door was locked... And then it wasn't.' followed a couple of pages later by a closed grille where we get '"It won't budge!" she yelled back, but then it did...' And the book ends with a classic short story ending, fine for something you've invested a few minutes in, but entirely inadequate for a novel.
So, it's a difficult one. This could have been a really good book, but Richter doesn't carry it through to the end. However, as mentioned at the beginning, there's a lot of promise here, and I hope it will be fulfilled in the future.
Things get intriguing when a man who murders his partner claims that his artificial arm attacked her of its own accord. Despite doubts from the police hierarchy and opposition from mega-IT companies, Dremmler and his partner begin to suspect the man is telling the truth and something dark is happening. Things get particularly interesting - and the writing particularly engaging - when Dremmler visits the mega factory where the artificial arm was created and sees a production line making what he had thought was a real person.
The book really takes off at this point. Admittedly, sometimes the concepts feel a little derivative: TIM feels awfully like HAL in 2001, to the extent at one point there's almost a recreation of the pod bay doors scene with Dremmler yelling 'Stop the Pod and open the door!' and TIM replying 'I cannot comply with your request at this time.' Dremmler himself is distinctly reminiscent of Rick Deckard in Blade Runner and there's a distinct echo of Susan Calvin from Asimov's I, Robot in a factory boss. However, this really only adds to the fun. I'd also say 2039 is far too soon for things to have changed this much from the present, especially in terms of the perfection of humanoid robots. But for about three quarters of the book, things were going really well.
At this point, it's as if the author got a bit bored with it and finished it off as quickly as possible. What had been an intriguingly ambiguous character suddenly becomes a straightforward evil Bond villain. We get clumsy writing such as 'They ran. But the door was locked... And then it wasn't.' followed a couple of pages later by a closed grille where we get '"It won't budge!" she yelled back, but then it did...' And the book ends with a classic short story ending, fine for something you've invested a few minutes in, but entirely inadequate for a novel.
So, it's a difficult one. This could have been a really good book, but Richter doesn't carry it through to the end. However, as mentioned at the beginning, there's a lot of promise here, and I hope it will be fulfilled in the future.
October 4, 2022
THE AUXILIARY: LONDON 2039 is a dark, seedy, and depressing story about a cyberpunk future as well as a broken/damaged detective investigating a murder. The thing is that I'm not actually complaining about these things. I am going to give The Auxiliary incredibly high praise for the fact that it is actually one of the few cyberpunk books that manages to succeed in matching the darkness of its source material.
Carl Dremmler is a fantastic character that actually is every bit the sad, pathetic man that audiences kept forgetting Rick Deckard was because he was played by Harrison Ford. No, Deckard is a scumbag who murders people he knows to be innocent thinking beings because it would be inconvenient to resist the police shaking him down.
While I'm not going to say Jon Richter manages to match Phillip K. Dick's even more despicable version of Deckard from DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP, there's being a really good boxer and boxing with Ali, but he manages to go the extra mile in creating someone who really is lost in the noir haze of his world without hitting, "I am a protagonist of detective fiction." Which is to say Carl Dremmler is believably sad and pathetic as a bachelor who lives alone in his apartment with his sex bot and terrified of the outside world that has left the majority of humanity behind.
The premise is London has been all but taken over by an integrated AI that now handles the entirety of the internet as well as everything linked to it. TIM AKA The Imagination Machine is supposedly not sentient but handles drone deliveries, electric cars, and all of your media preferences ranging from Rage Against the Machine to the latest K-Pop. I think 2039 is a bit too early but I'd state that the world is a somewhat believable one for 2069. In any case, I'm hardly one to complain since my favorite cyberpunk movie, Johnny Mnemonic, was set in the far off year of 2021.
Carl hates his job and has the somewhat cliche excuse of a dead child to explain why he's lost in a bitter self-destructive spiral of depression but this is the only misstep I think in an otherwise incredibly strong narrative. The case is also suitably intriguing where a man's cybernetic arm apparently murders his wife of its own accord. Can TIM be hacked? If so, does that present an existential threat to London's economy as well as way of life.
There's layers of corporate conspiracy, paranoia, religious fundamentalists, 3D printed bugs, assassinations, and other weirdness that works excellent for this story. The ending is also incredibly powerful and unexpected. I strongly recommend this story and think people who like dark, gritty, and dangerous sci-fi will enjoy it.
Carl Dremmler is a fantastic character that actually is every bit the sad, pathetic man that audiences kept forgetting Rick Deckard was because he was played by Harrison Ford. No, Deckard is a scumbag who murders people he knows to be innocent thinking beings because it would be inconvenient to resist the police shaking him down.
While I'm not going to say Jon Richter manages to match Phillip K. Dick's even more despicable version of Deckard from DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP, there's being a really good boxer and boxing with Ali, but he manages to go the extra mile in creating someone who really is lost in the noir haze of his world without hitting, "I am a protagonist of detective fiction." Which is to say Carl Dremmler is believably sad and pathetic as a bachelor who lives alone in his apartment with his sex bot and terrified of the outside world that has left the majority of humanity behind.
The premise is London has been all but taken over by an integrated AI that now handles the entirety of the internet as well as everything linked to it. TIM AKA The Imagination Machine is supposedly not sentient but handles drone deliveries, electric cars, and all of your media preferences ranging from Rage Against the Machine to the latest K-Pop. I think 2039 is a bit too early but I'd state that the world is a somewhat believable one for 2069. In any case, I'm hardly one to complain since my favorite cyberpunk movie, Johnny Mnemonic, was set in the far off year of 2021.
Carl hates his job and has the somewhat cliche excuse of a dead child to explain why he's lost in a bitter self-destructive spiral of depression but this is the only misstep I think in an otherwise incredibly strong narrative. The case is also suitably intriguing where a man's cybernetic arm apparently murders his wife of its own accord. Can TIM be hacked? If so, does that present an existential threat to London's economy as well as way of life.
There's layers of corporate conspiracy, paranoia, religious fundamentalists, 3D printed bugs, assassinations, and other weirdness that works excellent for this story. The ending is also incredibly powerful and unexpected. I strongly recommend this story and think people who like dark, gritty, and dangerous sci-fi will enjoy it.
May 2, 2020
Plot
Detective Carl Dremmler and T Petrovic are investigating the murder of Letitia Karlikowska who's boyfriend Conor McCann claim he's not responsible but his robotic arm is. This turns into a series of homicides. But who is responsible?
Jon has established not only a fascinating thriller but also an interesting concept with the technology named The Imaginative Machine ( TIM).
Characters
Detective Carl Drummer is a flawed character with some funny black humour thrown in. He has a seemingly horrible past with the death of his daughter Natalie. He isn't a lover nor hater of all the new technology, transports and the new alt world as a whole. But it's going to show even with all the tech the world still needs a good detective.
Pacing
This grabs you from page one and literally takes you into a different world and doesn't let you go until the last page. It is a fast-paced thriller/Sci-Fi.
Writing.
What I loved the most about this book was Jons descriptive skills and how he makes it seem like you are in a movie. He is wonderfully fantastic at world-building, crafting incredible descriptions, the obvious research that has gone into creating TMI and all the other fabulous intriguing technology, robotics, the driverless pods ( cars).
Cover
Attractive, creepy and futuristic.
Overall
This is a bloody fascinating intriguing read that is not only an awesome creepy, gruesome and scary thriller but with a well-crafted and descriptive world-building that is scarily realistic, imaginative and totally captivating. It is fast-paced and honestly really makes you stop and think where the world is going with all the tech that's already about. I would 100% recommend this to both thriller and sci-fi/Cyberpunk fans all around.
Detective Carl Dremmler and T Petrovic are investigating the murder of Letitia Karlikowska who's boyfriend Conor McCann claim he's not responsible but his robotic arm is. This turns into a series of homicides. But who is responsible?
Jon has established not only a fascinating thriller but also an interesting concept with the technology named The Imaginative Machine ( TIM).
Characters
Detective Carl Drummer is a flawed character with some funny black humour thrown in. He has a seemingly horrible past with the death of his daughter Natalie. He isn't a lover nor hater of all the new technology, transports and the new alt world as a whole. But it's going to show even with all the tech the world still needs a good detective.
Pacing
This grabs you from page one and literally takes you into a different world and doesn't let you go until the last page. It is a fast-paced thriller/Sci-Fi.
Writing.
What I loved the most about this book was Jons descriptive skills and how he makes it seem like you are in a movie. He is wonderfully fantastic at world-building, crafting incredible descriptions, the obvious research that has gone into creating TMI and all the other fabulous intriguing technology, robotics, the driverless pods ( cars).
Cover
Attractive, creepy and futuristic.
Overall
This is a bloody fascinating intriguing read that is not only an awesome creepy, gruesome and scary thriller but with a well-crafted and descriptive world-building that is scarily realistic, imaginative and totally captivating. It is fast-paced and honestly really makes you stop and think where the world is going with all the tech that's already about. I would 100% recommend this to both thriller and sci-fi/Cyberpunk fans all around.
September 19, 2021
Wow, what a book!
Clearly, this isn't only one of the best books I read this year but one of the best cyberpunk books I've read in a long time.
I already knew that Jon Richter is a talented author because I read some of his short stories but this book was a whole new experience.
Auxiliary is set in a relatively close future and its on-point realism is what makes the book such a treat. The hero is a police detective called Dremmler. A borderline alcoholic with a troubled past he usually takes care of trifles until he stumbles over the biggest case of his life.
A young man has murdered his girlfriend, or so it seems. But he claims it wasn't him and that his cybernetic arm did it against his will. This would be strange enough but what makes this case explosive is the fact that the arm - like basically every electronic device- can be accessed and controlled by TIM, the benevolent super-AI that runs everything. Soon people around Dremmler begin dying...
Richter combines science fiction with a murder mystery and does an excellent job with it. His (anti)hero Dremmler reminded me a lot of Detective Wallander, invented by the Swedish bestselling author Henning Mankell.
The murder mystery is well-plotted and engaging but what makes this book so extraordinary is the world-building.
As much as I love cyberpunk I have to admit that I'm often bored with its ever-occurring tropes. Many books in the genre paint a simplistic world-view of inherently evil corporates and righteous rebels fighting them. Add a genius hacker kid, rainy streets and the obligatory Chinese noodle kitchen and you have the standard genre recipe.
Auxiliary features none of these tropes and is still cyberpunk as it could be.
While many authors try to copy William Gibson and get caught up in 80s tropes, Richter has analyzed the world as it is today and created a futuristic, ultra-realistic version of it.
In Auxiliary most jobs have been lost to robots and AI which is why the majority of people live from government-provided universal income. They're caught in a life with no perspective of ever changing or getting better, which runs many people into depression or VR, where some spend most of their time.
Since the government provides the income, they also have full control over the people living from it, dictating everything - claiming it's for their own best. Most people live in the exact same shoebox apartments, they're not allowed to smoke, eat meat or drive a car by themselves. To make this neo-socialist dream perfect, the one-party government has implemented super-AI TIM, which takes care of basically everything, rendering free thought and will obsolete.
Everyone has been brainwashed into believing that all of this is for their own good and TIM is allegedly benevolent and unhackable. Or is he not?
Looking at current socio-economical developments, Richter's vision of the future becomes frighteningly realistic.
With the Elon-bot and Sophia the Robot going into mass-production, soon millions of jobs and the people doing them might become obsolete indeed.
Embedded in this clever and well-developed scenario, Richter tells an exciting story spiced up with action, frightening killer robots, and a likable detective.
The only critique I have is the abrupt ending and I hope very much that the author will write a sequel someday.
My highest recommendation to sci-fi and cyberpunk fans!
And if you're considering getting yourself a 3D printer - don't. After this book, I certainly never will let any of those things in my house...
Clearly, this isn't only one of the best books I read this year but one of the best cyberpunk books I've read in a long time.
I already knew that Jon Richter is a talented author because I read some of his short stories but this book was a whole new experience.
Auxiliary is set in a relatively close future and its on-point realism is what makes the book such a treat. The hero is a police detective called Dremmler. A borderline alcoholic with a troubled past he usually takes care of trifles until he stumbles over the biggest case of his life.
A young man has murdered his girlfriend, or so it seems. But he claims it wasn't him and that his cybernetic arm did it against his will. This would be strange enough but what makes this case explosive is the fact that the arm - like basically every electronic device- can be accessed and controlled by TIM, the benevolent super-AI that runs everything. Soon people around Dremmler begin dying...
Richter combines science fiction with a murder mystery and does an excellent job with it. His (anti)hero Dremmler reminded me a lot of Detective Wallander, invented by the Swedish bestselling author Henning Mankell.
The murder mystery is well-plotted and engaging but what makes this book so extraordinary is the world-building.
As much as I love cyberpunk I have to admit that I'm often bored with its ever-occurring tropes. Many books in the genre paint a simplistic world-view of inherently evil corporates and righteous rebels fighting them. Add a genius hacker kid, rainy streets and the obligatory Chinese noodle kitchen and you have the standard genre recipe.
Auxiliary features none of these tropes and is still cyberpunk as it could be.
While many authors try to copy William Gibson and get caught up in 80s tropes, Richter has analyzed the world as it is today and created a futuristic, ultra-realistic version of it.
In Auxiliary most jobs have been lost to robots and AI which is why the majority of people live from government-provided universal income. They're caught in a life with no perspective of ever changing or getting better, which runs many people into depression or VR, where some spend most of their time.
Since the government provides the income, they also have full control over the people living from it, dictating everything - claiming it's for their own best. Most people live in the exact same shoebox apartments, they're not allowed to smoke, eat meat or drive a car by themselves. To make this neo-socialist dream perfect, the one-party government has implemented super-AI TIM, which takes care of basically everything, rendering free thought and will obsolete.
Everyone has been brainwashed into believing that all of this is for their own good and TIM is allegedly benevolent and unhackable. Or is he not?
Looking at current socio-economical developments, Richter's vision of the future becomes frighteningly realistic.
With the Elon-bot and Sophia the Robot going into mass-production, soon millions of jobs and the people doing them might become obsolete indeed.
Embedded in this clever and well-developed scenario, Richter tells an exciting story spiced up with action, frightening killer robots, and a likable detective.
The only critique I have is the abrupt ending and I hope very much that the author will write a sequel someday.
My highest recommendation to sci-fi and cyberpunk fans!
And if you're considering getting yourself a 3D printer - don't. After this book, I certainly never will let any of those things in my house...
September 9, 2020
Auxiliary: London 2039 is a compelling story that uses a murder mystery plot to express the best and worst of the human race as it relates to the development of AI. Author Jon Lichter has written a book that, while short in page count, certainly packs a punch. This book pulls no punches in its examination of humans’ relationship with robots, and I enjoyed reading about it.
I have always thought that writing near-future science fiction is one of the hardest genres to write. Far-future fiction can look 1,000, or 2,000, or 5,000 years in the future and that date can be somewhat ambiguous as the author completely changes the world we know; oftentimes, we have colonized other planets and created new societies from scratch. But, if you are writing a book that is 50 years or less in the future you have a little more of a responsibility to shoot for accuracy. 50 years from now we are (probably) not living on the moon and growing space gardens and worrying about the difference in gravitation pull on our life systems. Some of our current ways are still going to be in place, putting the author in a tough position: show progress that is realistic for the timeframe while at the same time making sure the readers knows there are still some aspects of society where current systems are in place. That is a hard job.
Richter does a decent job of this, for the most part. In this future the author has imagined, AI plays a much bigger role in our lives. There are 3D printers that humans can use to make anything they want (watch out for hackers, though). One big AI system (“The Imagination Machine”, AKA – “TIM”) controls all of our processes, from cooking to driving to watching videos – all accomplished with a chip implanted in our skulls. The feeling of losing control and the big-brother nature of the whole thing creates an almost-scary future where it almost feels like freedom of choice is gone. And it takes an even deeper dive when it appears as though this “unhackable” AI is malfunctioning and committing crimes, printing things we did not request, and making decisions it should not be able to make.
Is something wrong with the software or has it been hacked? This question dominates the narrative from beginning to end. The fact that the author used a murder mystery as the backdrop was, in my opinion, a really good choice. A homicide investigation allows the characters to explore every aspect of society, the ins and outs of government, and take a close look at big business. Auxiliary: London 2039 accomplishes all of that, and more, with the AI issue permeating the story every step of the way. There are so many tension-creating aspects here that by the end I was just dying for relief. And, while the end was surprising, it was satisfying in a very unexpected way.
I am not really going to get into the cast of characters, because while I do think they were well-written, they are not the focal point of the story, at all. The people are utilitarian, their purpose really just pawns to the overshadowing story arc of the progress of artificial intelligence and its overall effect on society. Now that I think about it, that is quite fitting since that is the point of the story. Kudos to the author on that.
The only drawback for me was that I kept thinking 2039 is only 19 years away. How probably is it that this is our world in 2039? My conclusion is every time is probably not. While no one knows what the future looks like, I cannot imagine AI penetrating our lives to this level so soon. That goes back to my initial thought about the difficulty of writing near-future science fiction. I think Richter does a great job of showing what the future can look like, while mixing in current aspects of society. One small example of this is that while most doors can sense you coming and open automatically by reading the chip in your head if you are allowed access, the detective does visit a building that still uses a key system – noting that there are pockets of society that hang on to old processes. There are many small examples like this in the book, and I think those little examples keep a story like this honest. But, honestly? I would have set this story 100 years in the future. That would have been a more realistic timeframe, in my opinion.
Overall, I really like this book. With Auxiliary: London 2039, author Jon Richter leads readers on a somewhat frightening journey into what our future could look like and really takes an introspective look at how our decisions effect society as a whole. All told over the backdrop of a murder mystery. I highly recommend this book for fans of science fiction, and for those who like stories that involve artificial intelligence.
I have always thought that writing near-future science fiction is one of the hardest genres to write. Far-future fiction can look 1,000, or 2,000, or 5,000 years in the future and that date can be somewhat ambiguous as the author completely changes the world we know; oftentimes, we have colonized other planets and created new societies from scratch. But, if you are writing a book that is 50 years or less in the future you have a little more of a responsibility to shoot for accuracy. 50 years from now we are (probably) not living on the moon and growing space gardens and worrying about the difference in gravitation pull on our life systems. Some of our current ways are still going to be in place, putting the author in a tough position: show progress that is realistic for the timeframe while at the same time making sure the readers knows there are still some aspects of society where current systems are in place. That is a hard job.
Richter does a decent job of this, for the most part. In this future the author has imagined, AI plays a much bigger role in our lives. There are 3D printers that humans can use to make anything they want (watch out for hackers, though). One big AI system (“The Imagination Machine”, AKA – “TIM”) controls all of our processes, from cooking to driving to watching videos – all accomplished with a chip implanted in our skulls. The feeling of losing control and the big-brother nature of the whole thing creates an almost-scary future where it almost feels like freedom of choice is gone. And it takes an even deeper dive when it appears as though this “unhackable” AI is malfunctioning and committing crimes, printing things we did not request, and making decisions it should not be able to make.
Is something wrong with the software or has it been hacked? This question dominates the narrative from beginning to end. The fact that the author used a murder mystery as the backdrop was, in my opinion, a really good choice. A homicide investigation allows the characters to explore every aspect of society, the ins and outs of government, and take a close look at big business. Auxiliary: London 2039 accomplishes all of that, and more, with the AI issue permeating the story every step of the way. There are so many tension-creating aspects here that by the end I was just dying for relief. And, while the end was surprising, it was satisfying in a very unexpected way.
I am not really going to get into the cast of characters, because while I do think they were well-written, they are not the focal point of the story, at all. The people are utilitarian, their purpose really just pawns to the overshadowing story arc of the progress of artificial intelligence and its overall effect on society. Now that I think about it, that is quite fitting since that is the point of the story. Kudos to the author on that.
The only drawback for me was that I kept thinking 2039 is only 19 years away. How probably is it that this is our world in 2039? My conclusion is every time is probably not. While no one knows what the future looks like, I cannot imagine AI penetrating our lives to this level so soon. That goes back to my initial thought about the difficulty of writing near-future science fiction. I think Richter does a great job of showing what the future can look like, while mixing in current aspects of society. One small example of this is that while most doors can sense you coming and open automatically by reading the chip in your head if you are allowed access, the detective does visit a building that still uses a key system – noting that there are pockets of society that hang on to old processes. There are many small examples like this in the book, and I think those little examples keep a story like this honest. But, honestly? I would have set this story 100 years in the future. That would have been a more realistic timeframe, in my opinion.
Overall, I really like this book. With Auxiliary: London 2039, author Jon Richter leads readers on a somewhat frightening journey into what our future could look like and really takes an introspective look at how our decisions effect society as a whole. All told over the backdrop of a murder mystery. I highly recommend this book for fans of science fiction, and for those who like stories that involve artificial intelligence.
December 12, 2020
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: London, near future. Everything’s taken care of or is controlled by an AI in short known as TIM. All you need to do is put on the specs, and TIM will make sure you’re on the right track to everything. In this future humans don’t really need to work, they get a basic income, and most jobs can be done by robots. Much like robots making robots. In this future it is illegal for humans to drive, for TIM is just more efficient and safe. And, in this future, a hysterical man calls the police, claiming his robotic arm has crushed his love’s head.
TIM is a godlike omnipotent presence, it is unhackable. For if someone could hack god… This is where the classic, depression and alcoholism impaired, but very good at his job, noir vibes galore detective in a long coat, Carl Dremmler, walks in. There are many parties in this awful cabal who want case solved fast and quiet. And even more who’d be mighty glad to see this cybernetic empire – crumble.
My Opinion: Cyberpunk is often a difficult genre to consume, follow, understand, and it tends to scare people away. This here book, the only con I have would be the very detailed and long descriptions. The rest was everything I could’ve possibly wanted and more. Like a cold grimy web in which the protagonist and you, the reader, struggle, just to get a glimpse of hope, sunlight, and then realize the grimy stuff is machine oil, and the light is someone setting fire to it. It’s a very dark story in a form of a detective, with several evil plots intertwined. Familiar sights, even familiar people, fitted together so good I can only mourn this is not a series. From sobering fear as killer robots scale the walls, to dead bodies still connected to the AltWorld, VR, to mindfuck that altworld really is and how it works, to a crushing ending that I didn’t except for a minute, even when I saw the pages dwindle to nothing.
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: London, near future. Everything’s taken care of or is controlled by an AI in short known as TIM. All you need to do is put on the specs, and TIM will make sure you’re on the right track to everything. In this future humans don’t really need to work, they get a basic income, and most jobs can be done by robots. Much like robots making robots. In this future it is illegal for humans to drive, for TIM is just more efficient and safe. And, in this future, a hysterical man calls the police, claiming his robotic arm has crushed his love’s head.
TIM is a godlike omnipotent presence, it is unhackable. For if someone could hack god… This is where the classic, depression and alcoholism impaired, but very good at his job, noir vibes galore detective in a long coat, Carl Dremmler, walks in. There are many parties in this awful cabal who want case solved fast and quiet. And even more who’d be mighty glad to see this cybernetic empire – crumble.
My Opinion: Cyberpunk is often a difficult genre to consume, follow, understand, and it tends to scare people away. This here book, the only con I have would be the very detailed and long descriptions. The rest was everything I could’ve possibly wanted and more. Like a cold grimy web in which the protagonist and you, the reader, struggle, just to get a glimpse of hope, sunlight, and then realize the grimy stuff is machine oil, and the light is someone setting fire to it. It’s a very dark story in a form of a detective, with several evil plots intertwined. Familiar sights, even familiar people, fitted together so good I can only mourn this is not a series. From sobering fear as killer robots scale the walls, to dead bodies still connected to the AltWorld, VR, to mindfuck that altworld really is and how it works, to a crushing ending that I didn’t except for a minute, even when I saw the pages dwindle to nothing.
July 13, 2020
If you love Cyberpunk, then I think you will enjoy AUXILIARY, I had a blast reading it!
There’s a point in the book that alludes to the possibility that one of the characters isn’t who they portray to be. As the reader, you don’t get closure regarding said character, which I think adds a layer of mystery to what is real and what is perceived to be a virtual reality throughout the book.
The further I got into this book, for some reason, perhaps it’s the way particular scenes described, Willie Wonka (a movie I have seen in years) popped in my head. So when I read the following lines, I couldn’t stop laughing:
’He sagged down into the chair once again, brain spiraling. “We … we never left the room?” “Oh, come on. You didn’t think we had the technology to make a magic flying office, did you? I’m good, but I’m not Willy fucking Wonka.”’
Thank you, Jon Richter and TCK Publishing, for providing me with an eBook of AUXILIARY in exchange for an honest review.
There’s a point in the book that alludes to the possibility that one of the characters isn’t who they portray to be. As the reader, you don’t get closure regarding said character, which I think adds a layer of mystery to what is real and what is perceived to be a virtual reality throughout the book.
The further I got into this book, for some reason, perhaps it’s the way particular scenes described, Willie Wonka (a movie I have seen in years) popped in my head. So when I read the following lines, I couldn’t stop laughing:
’He sagged down into the chair once again, brain spiraling. “We … we never left the room?” “Oh, come on. You didn’t think we had the technology to make a magic flying office, did you? I’m good, but I’m not Willy fucking Wonka.”’
Thank you, Jon Richter and TCK Publishing, for providing me with an eBook of AUXILIARY in exchange for an honest review.
May 8, 2020
Although the dystopian future view of dangerous technology has been a staple of science fiction since the 1950’s, Jon Richter puts his own spin on it with imaginative future tech based on realistic extrapolation of what we have today.
The protagonist, Carl Dremmler, is straight out of a detective novel, even though he’s a police man. He is very flawed, but you still want him to succeed in his mission
I particularly enjoyed the references slipped into the narrative, like the nod to Red Dwarf.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The protagonist, Carl Dremmler, is straight out of a detective novel, even though he’s a police man. He is very flawed, but you still want him to succeed in his mission
I particularly enjoyed the references slipped into the narrative, like the nod to Red Dwarf.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 25, 2022
When you blend a mystery/thriller with dystopian cyberpunk, this is the result. In a world increasingly dominated by machines and robots and with most systems controlled by TIM, the ever so helpful system, we find Carl, a detective, working to solve a murder. The premise grabbed me from the start, a mechanical arm caused a murder, acting on its own free will. This was an engaging and a riveting read for me.
May 23, 2020
Really enjoyed this!! I’m fortunate enough to know the author, but didn’t realise he could write like this!!
Dark, engaging and exciting detective thriller, couldn’t wait to pick it up again and keep reading! I hope there will be more!
Dark, engaging and exciting detective thriller, couldn’t wait to pick it up again and keep reading! I hope there will be more!
November 21, 2020
If you enjoy cyberpunk noir, you will enjoy this novel. It is well-paced and is a nice blend of near-future, dystopic, detective fiction with a dash of dark and gritty for good measure. It has all of the things you want from cyberpunk-AI, shady corporations, VR-without being cliche or cookie-cutter. I enjoy it when an author gives me world-building without info dumps, and Richter has done this, presenting the London of 2039 through plot and character. I don't know if Richter plans more novels set in this world, but if he does, they are on my TBR pile.
January 27, 2021
All Too Predictable Crime Noir Thriller Meets Cyberpunk
This past year is one I will clearly forget, having been affected by COVID and reminding myself to finish reading this slim novel about criminal robots and Artificial Intelligence that I tried several times to read but could never get past the first twenty pages. Finally late last month I summoned ample courage and will to begin reading this novel, but it remained a daunting challenge still due to the writer's all too predictable plotting and equally predictable characters. The writer has sought to offer readers a near future London with a 1980s British pop rock soundtrack set in a city that remains familiar despite its futuristic depiction of Artificial Intelligence. Less discerning readers may be entranced by the author's nightmarish dystopian near future London, but I found instead a distinct longing for the near future Japan present in William Gibson's legendary Cyberspace trilogy, especially his debut novel, "Neuromancer", and a near future South Africa similar to Gibson's vision, but one derived independently by Lauren Beukes in her memorable debut novel "Moxyland" i also felt myself longing for the near future Sunni Muslim world brilliantly conceived by George Alec Effinger in his late great work comprising the trilogy that began with "When Gravity Falls". Gibson, Beukes and Effinger have created far more exciting versions of an A. I. augmented near future than what I encountered in "Auxiliary London 2039" and I would encourage more discerning readers to consider their work first before attempting to read this novel.
This past year is one I will clearly forget, having been affected by COVID and reminding myself to finish reading this slim novel about criminal robots and Artificial Intelligence that I tried several times to read but could never get past the first twenty pages. Finally late last month I summoned ample courage and will to begin reading this novel, but it remained a daunting challenge still due to the writer's all too predictable plotting and equally predictable characters. The writer has sought to offer readers a near future London with a 1980s British pop rock soundtrack set in a city that remains familiar despite its futuristic depiction of Artificial Intelligence. Less discerning readers may be entranced by the author's nightmarish dystopian near future London, but I found instead a distinct longing for the near future Japan present in William Gibson's legendary Cyberspace trilogy, especially his debut novel, "Neuromancer", and a near future South Africa similar to Gibson's vision, but one derived independently by Lauren Beukes in her memorable debut novel "Moxyland" i also felt myself longing for the near future Sunni Muslim world brilliantly conceived by George Alec Effinger in his late great work comprising the trilogy that began with "When Gravity Falls". Gibson, Beukes and Effinger have created far more exciting versions of an A. I. augmented near future than what I encountered in "Auxiliary London 2039" and I would encourage more discerning readers to consider their work first before attempting to read this novel.
July 20, 2021
I'm not sure what Richter was trying for here. There's a decent plot, but Dremmler is such a yuck that it's distracting.
The noir detective thing is heavily overplayed here. He drinks a lot, and to implausible excess several times. He does the standard ignore-the-phone thing. He has a dreary backstory. Can't this character ever be a baker or an author or a lawyer? The only thing missing is the dry-swallowing pills.
Dremmler is at least credibly smart at figuring things out. Too bad he's all lecher all the time.
The whole at-the-bad-guy's-factory scene seemed very familiar.
I might try another Richter to see how he develops.
The noir detective thing is heavily overplayed here. He drinks a lot, and to implausible excess several times. He does the standard ignore-the-phone thing. He has a dreary backstory. Can't this character ever be a baker or an author or a lawyer? The only thing missing is the dry-swallowing pills.
Dremmler is at least credibly smart at figuring things out. Too bad he's all lecher all the time.
The whole at-the-bad-guy's-factory scene seemed very familiar.
I might try another Richter to see how he develops.
July 26, 2020
Great book! It begins as a murder mystery, but soon becomes complicated by a plot involving Neo-Luddites, cybernetics corporations, and an A.I. with the world in its grasp. The imagery is beautiful, dark, engrossing, and the tone grave and serious, fitting the consequences. Jon's understanding of how machines process data lead a realism to the text that's fitting to the genre, and his writing style shows great experience. Recommended!
August 23, 2020
3.5/5 stars
(NOTE: A copy of the novel was provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts are my own.)
I'm always game to try an indie sci-fi book. Independently published books are always a bit of a gamble; sometimes they're great; other times they're not so great. But often you can find a great diamond in the rough by reading an independently published sci-fi novel. So, when the publishers of Auxiliary: London 2039 reached out to me and asked if I would like to review the book, I thought it was worth a read. It sounded reminiscent of Blade Runner and Altered Carbon, two stories I've enjoyed to a reasonable extent, so I thought it was worth a shot. And, having read the book, it's not a bad read but it's not a great read either. It's perfectly fine, with a suitable mystery, well-written prose, and solid pacing, but it's also not particularly original, and it feels like something you've read before.
It's not that Auxiliary is bad, far from it. It's an intriguing mystery that is well-executed and frequently enjoyable. It's filled with multi-dimensional characters, fascinating ideas, and great action scenes. So, what's the problem, then? The problem is that much of the novel feels very familiar - so familiar that is often distracting. Now, to be fair, a story being familiar isn't inherently a bad thing. Lots of sci-fi builds off of the ideas of other stories. The problem for me was that there just weren't enough new elements in the story. Instead, it just felt like a remix of old ideas and new technology.
For starters, Dremmler, our protagonist, is every detective from any pulp novel you've ever read. He's troubled, he's an alcoholic, he often plays by his own rules, he's frequently misogynistic, and he even has a tragic backstory. He's Blade Runner's Deckard meets any film noir detective. In fairness, this all seems intentional - the whole novel is a riff on film noir detective stories and even briefly starkly comments on Dremmler's flaws. The problem is that that's all it does with the trope. One throwaway gag doesn't get you off the hook for using such a trope. It felt like there was plenty of room for the novel to try to subvert Dremmler's characterization, but every time it comes close to doing so, it fails to commit. Now, again, there's nothing inherently wrong with a character like Dremmler. I just have no interest in journeying with such a character in a story that doesn't seriously examine their flaws in any meaningful way.
The same problems plagued many of the novel's other elements. They're all familiar ideas presented in a new context but without any further changes. The newest element of the story is probably the specific technology used - an Alexa-esque AI called TIM, who has access to, and control of, almost every facet of society – but even that just feels like a slight update of the way Androids have been used in earlier cyberpunk stories. The novel tries to put some twists on its ideas through its central mystery - who is behind this seeming malfunction of a TIM-controlled limb, and why - but it never manages to be particularly surprising. There are satisfying twists and turns, but almost all of them are predictable before they happen - even the book's climax, which tries to shock you at times but merely ends up confirming suspicions you've had the whole time. Now, I wouldn't mind this much on its own, but couple it with the other examples of the novel feeling like an old room with a new coat of paint, and it starts to feel like a pattern.
However, despite all this, Auxiliary still manages to be a lot of fun. Some of that is down to the fact that even a predictable mystery can still be a fun one but much of it is due to how good Richter's prose is. It's a fast-paced novel, and Richter never spends more than more time than he needs to on a scene. He litters the novel with action scenes, constantly propelling the narrative forward. He expertly builds tension in a way that makes you worry for the characters even though you have a good idea of how things will turn out. The book moves so fast there's never a chance for you to get bored. And even if many of the elements feel very familiar, they're still competently repackaged in a manner that's fun to read and enjoyable to experience.
So, at the end of the day, Auxiliary: London 2039 is a bit of a mixed bag. It's a familiar take on familiar ideas but doesn't bring much new to the table. However, it's still presented in an easy-to-read, fast-paced, and enjoyable manner. The characters feel developed, if archetypal, and the mystery is well-executed. It makes for a fun read if you're looking for this kind of thing. It's enjoyable enough, and if you want something in the same vein as Blade Runner, it's well worth checking out.
(NOTE: A copy of the novel was provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts are my own.)
I'm always game to try an indie sci-fi book. Independently published books are always a bit of a gamble; sometimes they're great; other times they're not so great. But often you can find a great diamond in the rough by reading an independently published sci-fi novel. So, when the publishers of Auxiliary: London 2039 reached out to me and asked if I would like to review the book, I thought it was worth a read. It sounded reminiscent of Blade Runner and Altered Carbon, two stories I've enjoyed to a reasonable extent, so I thought it was worth a shot. And, having read the book, it's not a bad read but it's not a great read either. It's perfectly fine, with a suitable mystery, well-written prose, and solid pacing, but it's also not particularly original, and it feels like something you've read before.
It's not that Auxiliary is bad, far from it. It's an intriguing mystery that is well-executed and frequently enjoyable. It's filled with multi-dimensional characters, fascinating ideas, and great action scenes. So, what's the problem, then? The problem is that much of the novel feels very familiar - so familiar that is often distracting. Now, to be fair, a story being familiar isn't inherently a bad thing. Lots of sci-fi builds off of the ideas of other stories. The problem for me was that there just weren't enough new elements in the story. Instead, it just felt like a remix of old ideas and new technology.
For starters, Dremmler, our protagonist, is every detective from any pulp novel you've ever read. He's troubled, he's an alcoholic, he often plays by his own rules, he's frequently misogynistic, and he even has a tragic backstory. He's Blade Runner's Deckard meets any film noir detective. In fairness, this all seems intentional - the whole novel is a riff on film noir detective stories and even briefly starkly comments on Dremmler's flaws. The problem is that that's all it does with the trope. One throwaway gag doesn't get you off the hook for using such a trope. It felt like there was plenty of room for the novel to try to subvert Dremmler's characterization, but every time it comes close to doing so, it fails to commit. Now, again, there's nothing inherently wrong with a character like Dremmler. I just have no interest in journeying with such a character in a story that doesn't seriously examine their flaws in any meaningful way.
The same problems plagued many of the novel's other elements. They're all familiar ideas presented in a new context but without any further changes. The newest element of the story is probably the specific technology used - an Alexa-esque AI called TIM, who has access to, and control of, almost every facet of society – but even that just feels like a slight update of the way Androids have been used in earlier cyberpunk stories. The novel tries to put some twists on its ideas through its central mystery - who is behind this seeming malfunction of a TIM-controlled limb, and why - but it never manages to be particularly surprising. There are satisfying twists and turns, but almost all of them are predictable before they happen - even the book's climax, which tries to shock you at times but merely ends up confirming suspicions you've had the whole time. Now, I wouldn't mind this much on its own, but couple it with the other examples of the novel feeling like an old room with a new coat of paint, and it starts to feel like a pattern.
However, despite all this, Auxiliary still manages to be a lot of fun. Some of that is down to the fact that even a predictable mystery can still be a fun one but much of it is due to how good Richter's prose is. It's a fast-paced novel, and Richter never spends more than more time than he needs to on a scene. He litters the novel with action scenes, constantly propelling the narrative forward. He expertly builds tension in a way that makes you worry for the characters even though you have a good idea of how things will turn out. The book moves so fast there's never a chance for you to get bored. And even if many of the elements feel very familiar, they're still competently repackaged in a manner that's fun to read and enjoyable to experience.
So, at the end of the day, Auxiliary: London 2039 is a bit of a mixed bag. It's a familiar take on familiar ideas but doesn't bring much new to the table. However, it's still presented in an easy-to-read, fast-paced, and enjoyable manner. The characters feel developed, if archetypal, and the mystery is well-executed. It makes for a fun read if you're looking for this kind of thing. It's enjoyable enough, and if you want something in the same vein as Blade Runner, it's well worth checking out.
May 7, 2020
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
In the obsolete "real life," Carl Dremmler is one of the remaining detectives in the London Police Force (which doesn't seem to be much of a presence). His days are largely filled with cookie-cutter investigations verifying that people has wasted away while immersed in Augmented Reality to the point they couldn't notice their physical health had deteriorated—although he gets to break it up occasionally by something like a civilian attacking a postbot.
What brings Dremmler to our focus is a very different kind of case—maybe an impossible case. A woman has been killed—horrifically, I should add. Her boyfriend, the prime suspect, has been caught (very literally) red-handed, but insists that he tried to stop it from happening, but his cybernetic arm acted independently from him.
The problem with this is that the software that controls the arm is unhackable. There is no way for this to have been anything but the accused. Unless the impossible is a lot more possible.
Dremmler finds himself fighting pressure from above to close this case and his increasing conviction that the boyfriend is innocent. He just can't explain how. The London of 2039 is a cyberpunk future—but not one so advanced that people living in it can't remember what life was life before TIM was ubiquitous. Dremmler has a strong preference for, well, now—which makes him the perfect person to want to believe there is a problem in a perfect OS.
I've always found that the best cyberpunk, seemingly paradoxically, shared a lot of characteristics with early 20th-century noir. This novel is a shining example of that—it's actually been a long time since I've read a cyberpunk novel that's embraced the noir-ness as much (or as well) as Auxiliary: London 2039 does. Dremmler is as hard-boiled a character as you could want (haunted by tragedy, alcoholic, driven) and I was reminded of Nathaniel West's work several times by the secondary characters and mores throughout the book.
At the same time, there's a Golden Age of Science Fiction feel to a lot of the work—especially as it relates to AIs, the place of technology in culture (and how it interacts with humans), the role of escaping from Standard Reality into Alternate Reality, and so on. As often as I was reminded of West or Chandler, I was reminded of Asimov or Clarke (Richter is more pleasant to read).
I had a blast with this. It's just the kind of mix of genres that appeals to me and Richter executed it all perfectly. Great, twisty plot; compelling characters; a fantastic setting; and enough implications to ponder to satisfy any reader. I strongly recommend Auxiliary: London 2039 to you.
My thanks to Overview Media for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including a copy of the novel) they provided.
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TIM stood for “The Imagination Machine.”It hadn’t seemed like a game-changer when it had been quietly released by the Imagination Corporation twelve years previous, at least not to Dremmler. It was simply a logical next step, a “one stop shop”that brought together office applications, email, social media, an enhanced personal organiser that was, as the company’s marketing eloquently put it, “like Alexa on steroids.”Video gaming, on-demand television, information searches, holiday bookings, shopping, dating, movies, music: TIM was a single interface for the entire online, AR/VR experience...
TIM had become ubiquitous; the go-to OS for almost everything. It flew the planes. It drove the cars. It answered your queries when you contacted customer services. It controlled the robotic surgeons that performed life-saving operations. It filed your tax returns. It delivered your food. It selected your music. It read your children bedtime stories.
And it ran the AltWorld. Whatever you wanted to see, or be, or do, or feel, or [expletive]. Real life had been made obsolete.
In the obsolete "real life," Carl Dremmler is one of the remaining detectives in the London Police Force (which doesn't seem to be much of a presence). His days are largely filled with cookie-cutter investigations verifying that people has wasted away while immersed in Augmented Reality to the point they couldn't notice their physical health had deteriorated—although he gets to break it up occasionally by something like a civilian attacking a postbot.
What brings Dremmler to our focus is a very different kind of case—maybe an impossible case. A woman has been killed—horrifically, I should add. Her boyfriend, the prime suspect, has been caught (very literally) red-handed, but insists that he tried to stop it from happening, but his cybernetic arm acted independently from him.
The problem with this is that the software that controls the arm is unhackable. There is no way for this to have been anything but the accused. Unless the impossible is a lot more possible.
Dremmler finds himself fighting pressure from above to close this case and his increasing conviction that the boyfriend is innocent. He just can't explain how. The London of 2039 is a cyberpunk future—but not one so advanced that people living in it can't remember what life was life before TIM was ubiquitous. Dremmler has a strong preference for, well, now—which makes him the perfect person to want to believe there is a problem in a perfect OS.
I've always found that the best cyberpunk, seemingly paradoxically, shared a lot of characteristics with early 20th-century noir. This novel is a shining example of that—it's actually been a long time since I've read a cyberpunk novel that's embraced the noir-ness as much (or as well) as Auxiliary: London 2039 does. Dremmler is as hard-boiled a character as you could want (haunted by tragedy, alcoholic, driven) and I was reminded of Nathaniel West's work several times by the secondary characters and mores throughout the book.
At the same time, there's a Golden Age of Science Fiction feel to a lot of the work—especially as it relates to AIs, the place of technology in culture (and how it interacts with humans), the role of escaping from Standard Reality into Alternate Reality, and so on. As often as I was reminded of West or Chandler, I was reminded of Asimov or Clarke (Richter is more pleasant to read).
I had a blast with this. It's just the kind of mix of genres that appeals to me and Richter executed it all perfectly. Great, twisty plot; compelling characters; a fantastic setting; and enough implications to ponder to satisfy any reader. I strongly recommend Auxiliary: London 2039 to you.
My thanks to Overview Media for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including a copy of the novel) they provided.
September 7, 2020
This was such an exciting book in that it's a dark combination of the detective noir, cyberpunk, and sci-fi genres. Our main character, Carl Dremmler, is the kind of detective you'd find in a 1940s noir story: he drinks too much, has a painful past, is a bit crass, and picks up strangers for sex (though he often has sex with his personal humanoid robot). I thought the author did a fantastic job of meshing the different genres, and they all worked seamlessly in this story.
The setting for this dystopian thriller is more than a bit disconcerting and grim, taking place in the near future where machines pretty much run the world. Robots have replaced most jobs, humanity has stopped growing, striving, and evolving, and people are continuously monitored and controlled by the primary operating system. "Real Life" as we know it has nearly become obsolete.
We get a taste of this in the opening scene where Detective Dremmler is called to the flat of a young man who was so engrossed in the virtual reality "AltWord" that he neglected to eat or drink, and thus died at his computer. It's at this point where we're introduced to the main operating system, TIM, which stands for "The Imagination Machine." TIM is a single interface that controls every aspect of people's lives, from turning on the lights, ordering food, shopping, playing music, transportation, surgery, etc. Basically, this system holds absolute power, with everyone's lives being tightly controlled by the AI.
The story then becomes especially interesting when Detective Dremmler is called to the scene of a grisly crime. A young man has allegedly murdered his girlfriend by crushing her skull with his cybernetically-controlled prosthetic arm. It appears to be an open and shut case of murder. However, the distraught man protests that the arm, whose chip is controlled by TIM, acted on its own accord and that the man couldn't stop it — that he had neither intention nor reason to kill his girlfriend. Initially, Dremmler is certain that the man is lying because what he's claiming is impossible. TIM is unhackable; everybody knows that. Right?
But as Dremmler and his partner begin investigating deeper, he soon begins to suspect that there's a lot more going on here than what he first thought and the case then morphs into something else entirely. In fact, the "unhackable" TIM may not be as safe as everyone thinks. Further digging causes him to suspect that there's an even larger conspiracy at the bottom of it all.
Of course, there are those who want him to stop digging, especially those higher up in the police hierarchy and certain mega-IT corporations. It also becomes clear that some will do whatever it takes to ensure that he stops digging because if it's proven that TIM was indeed hacked, that knowledge could destroy the public's trust in the AI and throw society into panic and upheaval. Dremmler and his partner then begin working under the radar, and the more they uncover, the more deadly the situation becomes.
The clever and imaginative plot was utterly compelling and had me madly turning the pages to discover what was really going on here. I thought the story was fascinating though certainly dark, creepy, and profoundly unsettling. This book captivated me from beginning to end as the twists started to pile up. I thought this was a blood-chilling roller-coaster ride of a novel that's both provocative and shocking. Compelling, dark, and intense, this story of technology gone wrong kept me guessing until the end and took me places I very much didn't expect.
Speaking of the ending, it's worth mentioning that the book ends rather abruptly mid-scene, which is the type of conclusion one often finds with short horror stories. I'm not a fan of these types of endings, so I knocked off a star for that as it did leave me feeling a little unsatisfied. But apart from that, I thought this gripping story was phenomenal and the world-building exceptional. I'd definitely read more by this author.
A huge thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.
The setting for this dystopian thriller is more than a bit disconcerting and grim, taking place in the near future where machines pretty much run the world. Robots have replaced most jobs, humanity has stopped growing, striving, and evolving, and people are continuously monitored and controlled by the primary operating system. "Real Life" as we know it has nearly become obsolete.
We get a taste of this in the opening scene where Detective Dremmler is called to the flat of a young man who was so engrossed in the virtual reality "AltWord" that he neglected to eat or drink, and thus died at his computer. It's at this point where we're introduced to the main operating system, TIM, which stands for "The Imagination Machine." TIM is a single interface that controls every aspect of people's lives, from turning on the lights, ordering food, shopping, playing music, transportation, surgery, etc. Basically, this system holds absolute power, with everyone's lives being tightly controlled by the AI.
The story then becomes especially interesting when Detective Dremmler is called to the scene of a grisly crime. A young man has allegedly murdered his girlfriend by crushing her skull with his cybernetically-controlled prosthetic arm. It appears to be an open and shut case of murder. However, the distraught man protests that the arm, whose chip is controlled by TIM, acted on its own accord and that the man couldn't stop it — that he had neither intention nor reason to kill his girlfriend. Initially, Dremmler is certain that the man is lying because what he's claiming is impossible. TIM is unhackable; everybody knows that. Right?
But as Dremmler and his partner begin investigating deeper, he soon begins to suspect that there's a lot more going on here than what he first thought and the case then morphs into something else entirely. In fact, the "unhackable" TIM may not be as safe as everyone thinks. Further digging causes him to suspect that there's an even larger conspiracy at the bottom of it all.
Of course, there are those who want him to stop digging, especially those higher up in the police hierarchy and certain mega-IT corporations. It also becomes clear that some will do whatever it takes to ensure that he stops digging because if it's proven that TIM was indeed hacked, that knowledge could destroy the public's trust in the AI and throw society into panic and upheaval. Dremmler and his partner then begin working under the radar, and the more they uncover, the more deadly the situation becomes.
The clever and imaginative plot was utterly compelling and had me madly turning the pages to discover what was really going on here. I thought the story was fascinating though certainly dark, creepy, and profoundly unsettling. This book captivated me from beginning to end as the twists started to pile up. I thought this was a blood-chilling roller-coaster ride of a novel that's both provocative and shocking. Compelling, dark, and intense, this story of technology gone wrong kept me guessing until the end and took me places I very much didn't expect.
Speaking of the ending, it's worth mentioning that the book ends rather abruptly mid-scene, which is the type of conclusion one often finds with short horror stories. I'm not a fan of these types of endings, so I knocked off a star for that as it did leave me feeling a little unsatisfied. But apart from that, I thought this gripping story was phenomenal and the world-building exceptional. I'd definitely read more by this author.
A huge thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.
May 3, 2020
My previous experience with reading work by Jon Richter was one of his horror anthology book, Jon Richter's Disturbing Works Volume Two, and whilst I really enjoyed his short stories and saw that he was able to craft really good tales in multiple styles, I had no idea how his work would be as a full novel. Thankfully, it seems like Jon Richter is able to turn his hand to mystery thriller as well as he is horror.
The future of Auxiliary: London 2039 is something of a nightmare if I'm being honest. It's not a typical dystopia, or an apocalypse, but it's a future where humanity seems to be stunted, with no room for growth. It's a future where people rarely leave their homes, living their lives inside small, boxlike apartments. Most jobs are being performed by robots, people have what they want delivered to them, they have machines cook for them, they get entertainment on demand, they even have robots for sex. Everything a person needs to get by is provided to them, as long as they don't want total freedom.
Whilst some people might see this as the ideal future, there are some in the world of Auxiliary: London 2039 who don't. One of these is Carl Dremmler, our protagonist. He's one of the lucky people, his job is still deemed to be necessary, and as such he's one of the few humans who actually works. He's a police detective. It sounds exciting, but from very early on it's clear that crime isn't really something that happens all too much anymore, and Dremmler is lucky if he has anything mildly exciting to actually do.
Things take a surprising turn for our hero, however, when he's called to a crime scene where a man has murdered his girlfriend, but is claiming that his robotic arm came alive on its own and did it. Dremmler is very quick to explain to the audience that such a thing would be impossible, and gives us all sorts of reasons why it just couldn't possibly happen. He even goes into an interview with the suspect and tells him he must be lying because his explanation just couldn't happen. It's like someone claiming a unicorn stabbed their wife; it just couldn't be.
Despite how much Dremmler hates the world around him, hates the reliance on technology, hates that he has nothing to do, hates that he has sex with a machine, he still can't believe that the technology could be evil. At least at first.
Over the course of the book Dremmler begins to collect evidence that suggests that there's a lot more going on than first appears. He has to go against the wishes of his boss to do it, but he begins to find a bigger picture, one that suggests the unhackable computers that control human life might not be completely safe, and that their might even be a huge conspiracy behind it all.
I don't want to say too much more about the plot specifics, as a large part of any mystery is seeing the pieces come together, and trying to figure out the answer for yourself. What I will say, however, is that the story never makes any huge jumps that don't make sense. Some mystery stories seem to reach a point where the clues peter out, where the protagonists can only move forwards thanks to something that happens outside of their control that sets them onto a new path. Here, Dremmler makes all of the important things happen. He finds the small clues, he spots the things in the background, he makes the connections that drive the story forward.
Dremmler is a good detective. He's a bit burned out, he's started to hate his job and his personal life is a flaming wreck, but he's damn good at what he does when things hit the fan. He could have an easy solve on his hands, he could say that the boyfriend killed the victim because of course the technology couldn't be at fault, but he doesn't; even when following the clues makes things worse for him. Despite appearing to not care at the start of the book we see that the truth matters to him, and that he'll put getting the answers before his own safety and security. He's a good man, and a good protagonist.
Whilst we don't get many other characters over the course of the book, thanks in large part to most of the population living inside their small boxes, those we do meet are all interesting and unique. There's also a lot of variation on gender in the book, which was a pleasant surprise. It seems that in the future society that Jon Richter has made society isn't stuck in its thinking of only two genders. The binary seems to be well and truly broken, even if there only seems to be mention of male, female, and neuts, gender neutral people that have their own unique sets of pronouns. This was an interesting part of the book for me, and I'd have liked to have seen a little more about this, possibly expanding and exploring to see if there were more than these three genders, as gender is a spectrum after all, but I understand that this would perhaps have taken a little time and focus away from the main story.
Auxiliary: London 2039 is an interesting and engaging mystery story, set in a strange future world. It takes the ideas of the reliance on technology and explores how this could shape and change society in negative ways, without it being something apocalyptic or horrific. Not only will fans of science fiction enjoy it, but anyone who likes a good mystery story.
Read more reviews from Amy at www.trans--scribe.blogspot.bom
The future of Auxiliary: London 2039 is something of a nightmare if I'm being honest. It's not a typical dystopia, or an apocalypse, but it's a future where humanity seems to be stunted, with no room for growth. It's a future where people rarely leave their homes, living their lives inside small, boxlike apartments. Most jobs are being performed by robots, people have what they want delivered to them, they have machines cook for them, they get entertainment on demand, they even have robots for sex. Everything a person needs to get by is provided to them, as long as they don't want total freedom.
Whilst some people might see this as the ideal future, there are some in the world of Auxiliary: London 2039 who don't. One of these is Carl Dremmler, our protagonist. He's one of the lucky people, his job is still deemed to be necessary, and as such he's one of the few humans who actually works. He's a police detective. It sounds exciting, but from very early on it's clear that crime isn't really something that happens all too much anymore, and Dremmler is lucky if he has anything mildly exciting to actually do.
Things take a surprising turn for our hero, however, when he's called to a crime scene where a man has murdered his girlfriend, but is claiming that his robotic arm came alive on its own and did it. Dremmler is very quick to explain to the audience that such a thing would be impossible, and gives us all sorts of reasons why it just couldn't possibly happen. He even goes into an interview with the suspect and tells him he must be lying because his explanation just couldn't happen. It's like someone claiming a unicorn stabbed their wife; it just couldn't be.
Despite how much Dremmler hates the world around him, hates the reliance on technology, hates that he has nothing to do, hates that he has sex with a machine, he still can't believe that the technology could be evil. At least at first.
Over the course of the book Dremmler begins to collect evidence that suggests that there's a lot more going on than first appears. He has to go against the wishes of his boss to do it, but he begins to find a bigger picture, one that suggests the unhackable computers that control human life might not be completely safe, and that their might even be a huge conspiracy behind it all.
I don't want to say too much more about the plot specifics, as a large part of any mystery is seeing the pieces come together, and trying to figure out the answer for yourself. What I will say, however, is that the story never makes any huge jumps that don't make sense. Some mystery stories seem to reach a point where the clues peter out, where the protagonists can only move forwards thanks to something that happens outside of their control that sets them onto a new path. Here, Dremmler makes all of the important things happen. He finds the small clues, he spots the things in the background, he makes the connections that drive the story forward.
Dremmler is a good detective. He's a bit burned out, he's started to hate his job and his personal life is a flaming wreck, but he's damn good at what he does when things hit the fan. He could have an easy solve on his hands, he could say that the boyfriend killed the victim because of course the technology couldn't be at fault, but he doesn't; even when following the clues makes things worse for him. Despite appearing to not care at the start of the book we see that the truth matters to him, and that he'll put getting the answers before his own safety and security. He's a good man, and a good protagonist.
Whilst we don't get many other characters over the course of the book, thanks in large part to most of the population living inside their small boxes, those we do meet are all interesting and unique. There's also a lot of variation on gender in the book, which was a pleasant surprise. It seems that in the future society that Jon Richter has made society isn't stuck in its thinking of only two genders. The binary seems to be well and truly broken, even if there only seems to be mention of male, female, and neuts, gender neutral people that have their own unique sets of pronouns. This was an interesting part of the book for me, and I'd have liked to have seen a little more about this, possibly expanding and exploring to see if there were more than these three genders, as gender is a spectrum after all, but I understand that this would perhaps have taken a little time and focus away from the main story.
Auxiliary: London 2039 is an interesting and engaging mystery story, set in a strange future world. It takes the ideas of the reliance on technology and explores how this could shape and change society in negative ways, without it being something apocalyptic or horrific. Not only will fans of science fiction enjoy it, but anyone who likes a good mystery story.
Read more reviews from Amy at www.trans--scribe.blogspot.bom
April 30, 2020
Auxiliary opens with hard-boiled detective Carl Dremmler who arrives at the seen of a death in a London flat. The body is that of Shawn Ambrose, an unemployed roboticist and AltWorld addict who became so sucked into the virtual reality AltWorld affords he forgot to eat. Ambrose had succumbed to 'disengagement', a condition in which the addict neglects their own body, dying of thirst, malnutrition or disease. This initial scene introduces the reader to TIM, a single interface referred to as the Time Imagination Machine, technology that covers every aspect of online experience, from shopping and gaming to opening an apartment door. TIM is an operating system that combines Google with Windows and Netflix and everything else out there, the AltWorld it offers making real life obsolete, for the likes of Ambrose. Dremmler himself is intensely critical of TIM and wary of the power it holds, and he hankers for the past, or rather, a part of his past he wishes he could undo.
When Dremmler is called to the case of a gruesome murder, he is faced with an impossible conundrum. Did the accused boyfriend Conor McCann smash his girlfriend's face into a brick wall of their apartment, or was it his robotic arm that had somehow developed a dark will of its own? At first no one believes McCann's claim, except Dremmler's colleague Petrovic. The only way to discover if McCann is telling the truth is to extract the microchip implanted in his brain.
The plot thickens as Dremmler is forced to deal not only with the murder of Letitia Karlikowska, but also with the whereabouts of pretty young AWOL robot Cynthia Lu and a 3D-printed killer louse, in what at first seems like a wild goose chase. Meanwhile, Dremmler is plagued by flashbacks of his deceased daughter Natalie, and he ignores calls from his ex-wife Tessa. Slowly this subplot intertwines with the central investigation in what can only be described a literary tour de force. The ending is breathtakingly action-packed with twist after twist, leaving the reader reeling by the end.
The futuristic reality Richter has created in Auxiliary is rich and believable and immersive. The author deftly lures the reader into his story-world with considerable finesse and a healthy dollop of wit. Robots are everywhere, as housemaids, bar staff, doctors - medbots - and receptionists, dominating, through service, every aspect of everyday life. Cars have been replaced with pods. Robotics is stage centre and largely amoral, although throughout the novel there is a large question mark over TIM. This nagging sense of the possibility of robotic autonomy underpins the narrative and is the lynch pin of Auxiliary's noir feel. A secondary and equally prominent critique, conveyed through Dremmler's observations – and one the author no doubt harbours of our contemporary globalised society – is the great divide of wealth and poverty manifest in Auxiliary: London 2039. The inclusion of The Farm, where maverick and bankrupt roboticist Owen Fox leads a community of rebellious outsiders who have shunned technology, rounds out Richter's dystopia.
The writing is sharp and taut. Solid pacing with unexpected plot twists and carefully inserted backstory that doesn't drag on the narrative, all satisfy the thriller genre. The early part of the narrative benefits from Richter's black humour. As the tension builds, this humour gives way to gripping action scenes and atmospheric descriptions of settings. The protagonist is well-rounded and satisfyingly flawed. Vivid characterisations of cameo roles add colour and vibrancy. Dremmler's reflections and evaluations of the world he is forced to live in are also very well-executed.
Auxiliary will appeal to fans of straight ahead noir thrillers as much as those with an appetite for the futuristic. There is no doubt in my mind Jon Richter has penned a novel Iain Banks would be proud of. Auxiliary belongs in that stable of classy futuristic noir that only a British author can pen.
If you're an Iain Banks fan, you'll love Jon Richter.
When Dremmler is called to the case of a gruesome murder, he is faced with an impossible conundrum. Did the accused boyfriend Conor McCann smash his girlfriend's face into a brick wall of their apartment, or was it his robotic arm that had somehow developed a dark will of its own? At first no one believes McCann's claim, except Dremmler's colleague Petrovic. The only way to discover if McCann is telling the truth is to extract the microchip implanted in his brain.
The plot thickens as Dremmler is forced to deal not only with the murder of Letitia Karlikowska, but also with the whereabouts of pretty young AWOL robot Cynthia Lu and a 3D-printed killer louse, in what at first seems like a wild goose chase. Meanwhile, Dremmler is plagued by flashbacks of his deceased daughter Natalie, and he ignores calls from his ex-wife Tessa. Slowly this subplot intertwines with the central investigation in what can only be described a literary tour de force. The ending is breathtakingly action-packed with twist after twist, leaving the reader reeling by the end.
The futuristic reality Richter has created in Auxiliary is rich and believable and immersive. The author deftly lures the reader into his story-world with considerable finesse and a healthy dollop of wit. Robots are everywhere, as housemaids, bar staff, doctors - medbots - and receptionists, dominating, through service, every aspect of everyday life. Cars have been replaced with pods. Robotics is stage centre and largely amoral, although throughout the novel there is a large question mark over TIM. This nagging sense of the possibility of robotic autonomy underpins the narrative and is the lynch pin of Auxiliary's noir feel. A secondary and equally prominent critique, conveyed through Dremmler's observations – and one the author no doubt harbours of our contemporary globalised society – is the great divide of wealth and poverty manifest in Auxiliary: London 2039. The inclusion of The Farm, where maverick and bankrupt roboticist Owen Fox leads a community of rebellious outsiders who have shunned technology, rounds out Richter's dystopia.
The writing is sharp and taut. Solid pacing with unexpected plot twists and carefully inserted backstory that doesn't drag on the narrative, all satisfy the thriller genre. The early part of the narrative benefits from Richter's black humour. As the tension builds, this humour gives way to gripping action scenes and atmospheric descriptions of settings. The protagonist is well-rounded and satisfyingly flawed. Vivid characterisations of cameo roles add colour and vibrancy. Dremmler's reflections and evaluations of the world he is forced to live in are also very well-executed.
Auxiliary will appeal to fans of straight ahead noir thrillers as much as those with an appetite for the futuristic. There is no doubt in my mind Jon Richter has penned a novel Iain Banks would be proud of. Auxiliary belongs in that stable of classy futuristic noir that only a British author can pen.
If you're an Iain Banks fan, you'll love Jon Richter.
May 6, 2020
Wow. I... I've just finished reading this and I'm not even sure what to think or say about it! I guess I should've paid more attention to the fact that this is what's considered "dark fiction", which is something I've never read before. I read this as part of a blog tour and it ended up being just a bit outside of my comfort zone, but that's what I love about these tours! Special thanks to Heather @ Overview Media, and the author and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Auxiliary: London 2039 started off similarly to other sci-fi novels that I've read before. I recognised elements in the story that were present in books like Scythe, Warcross, and Ready Player One to just name a few, and of course, I loved the concept. This world where The Imagination Machine (TIM) regulates society and where most traditional working roles have been taken over by a host of machines and AI, was equal parts fascinating but also terrifying. Richter took innovations that already exist (3D printers) and concepts that are already somewhat familiar (the Internet of Things) and gave it a dark twist in the story that was terrifying because you could very easily imagine these things happening. I honestly don't think I've ever been so scared of a 3D printer in my life and if those things become a household staple, I'm pretty sure that I will never have one! Lol it was a pretty interesting look at how much technology can take over our lives.
That said... I found it difficult to really connect with the characters, especially with our MC, Carl Dremmler. He fits the tortured alcoholic detective character trope very neatly and I thought he would be a likeable enough character at the start... But then things got weirdly sexual and objectifying and it... really threw me off because it seemed to come out of nowhere. Dremmler was basically this skeezy old dude who was horny pretty much always? He would also objectify certain female characters we meet and it was gross and totally unnecessary; it only served to make me dislike him more. There wasn't much development for any of the characters in the book either and other than Dremmler, the others were really props to move the story along. I thought there was some interesting queer rep in this book with non-binary characters known as 'neuts', although their pronouns ('ve' and 'ver') threw me off at first and I was convinced that the author was making typos...
The mystery/thriller aspect of the plot was interesting and it kept me turning the pages to find out what happens next. It's not fast paced, although Richter's writing flows well, but I also think a few scenes could've been cut without the story losing anything. I'd say I was pretty engaged with the story until the last 30% when I felt like the plot kind of exploded and it became very rushed and messy. The climax was also pretty weird and unnecessarily sexual. Minor spoiler here but it involves horrifyingly modified sex robots being used as a torture method and ... Well, dark fiction, I guess? 😅 It completely threw me for a loop but thankfully, the author didn't go into explicit details, and those scenes passed pretty quickly. There was a plot twist at the end that surprised me but left me more confused than anything and while the ending came very abruptly, I guess it wasn't exactly open-ended or a cliffhanger.
In the end, I'm still not sure how to feel about this. I loved the setting and the thriller aspect kept me engaged. It's completely different to anything I've ever read and I guess I'm glad that I gave it a chance and can say that I've tried dark fiction? All I know for sure is that I wasn't at all ready for it.
Auxiliary: London 2039 started off similarly to other sci-fi novels that I've read before. I recognised elements in the story that were present in books like Scythe, Warcross, and Ready Player One to just name a few, and of course, I loved the concept. This world where The Imagination Machine (TIM) regulates society and where most traditional working roles have been taken over by a host of machines and AI, was equal parts fascinating but also terrifying. Richter took innovations that already exist (3D printers) and concepts that are already somewhat familiar (the Internet of Things) and gave it a dark twist in the story that was terrifying because you could very easily imagine these things happening. I honestly don't think I've ever been so scared of a 3D printer in my life and if those things become a household staple, I'm pretty sure that I will never have one! Lol it was a pretty interesting look at how much technology can take over our lives.
That said... I found it difficult to really connect with the characters, especially with our MC, Carl Dremmler. He fits the tortured alcoholic detective character trope very neatly and I thought he would be a likeable enough character at the start... But then things got weirdly sexual and objectifying and it... really threw me off because it seemed to come out of nowhere. Dremmler was basically this skeezy old dude who was horny pretty much always? He would also objectify certain female characters we meet and it was gross and totally unnecessary; it only served to make me dislike him more. There wasn't much development for any of the characters in the book either and other than Dremmler, the others were really props to move the story along. I thought there was some interesting queer rep in this book with non-binary characters known as 'neuts', although their pronouns ('ve' and 'ver') threw me off at first and I was convinced that the author was making typos...
The mystery/thriller aspect of the plot was interesting and it kept me turning the pages to find out what happens next. It's not fast paced, although Richter's writing flows well, but I also think a few scenes could've been cut without the story losing anything. I'd say I was pretty engaged with the story until the last 30% when I felt like the plot kind of exploded and it became very rushed and messy. The climax was also pretty weird and unnecessarily sexual. Minor spoiler here but it involves horrifyingly modified sex robots being used as a torture method and ... Well, dark fiction, I guess? 😅 It completely threw me for a loop but thankfully, the author didn't go into explicit details, and those scenes passed pretty quickly. There was a plot twist at the end that surprised me but left me more confused than anything and while the ending came very abruptly, I guess it wasn't exactly open-ended or a cliffhanger.
In the end, I'm still not sure how to feel about this. I loved the setting and the thriller aspect kept me engaged. It's completely different to anything I've ever read and I guess I'm glad that I gave it a chance and can say that I've tried dark fiction? All I know for sure is that I wasn't at all ready for it.
April 23, 2020
Auxiliary: London 2039 by [Jon Richter]In Short: Auxiliary: London 2039 is a fast paced murder mystery thriller that hammers home the challenges of our changing world and how technology can both help and hurt society. Fans of Black Mirror or other cyberpunk media will love this novel. Relevant and timely, it definitely makes the reader wonder “what if…”
Set in 2039 in a London not so far removed from reality that it isn’t recognizable, Auxiliary: London 2039 follows the tale of Detective Carl Dremmler as he solves a murder that only gets more complicated with time.
From Author Jon Richter –
When police detective Carl Dremmler investigates a murder, the prime suspect claims the AI controlling his robotic arm perpetrated the crime. As Dremmler discovers clues that the suspect might be right, he’s forced to stare into the blank soul of the machine as he desperately searches for the truth.
This event sends Dremmler on a winding exploration through both lofty heights and seedy underbelly of a darkly futuristic London. At times, the amount of graphic sexual action – even with robots – was a bit too much for me, especially early on. It does, however, tie into what we already know – that technology used for one purpose can always be used for darker, or perhaps more ethically grey, uses.
The tempo of the book is relatively fast paced, with only a handful of sections where you feel the book really slowing down. The conflict between Dremmler’s inner demons and outside challenges made me wonder, at points, if Dremmler never ate and only drank beer. But I think those demons are part of what makes the story, as the detective slowly comes to several key understandings about The Imagination Machine (TIM) the ever present, hyper aware computer that controls everything in London and beyond.
In exploring the characters in the story, I was a bit disappointed in the lack of racial diversity – almost every character is either an older white male, young white female, or young Asian female. I did like how the author included others on the gender spectrum, so-called ‘neuts’ and used pronouns such as ‘ver’ and ‘vere’ (which confused me at first, so much that I thought there were typos) but the references quickly became part of the writing and I liked having different gender types represented. I still question how much more diversity could have been present in a future London, (beyond the DCI who we only see for a brief moment) a city that is currently already very diverse.
I won’t lie, this book is outside my normal comfort zone. I mentioned earlier that fans of Black Mirror would love this, and that certainly isn’t my normal go-to entertainment. But it got me talking to my fiance about the situation and the world that Richter built, and it made me think critically about my own connection with technology inside an outside the home. With the Coronavirus making distance learning and remote working into a requirement, not a luxury, I can’t help but wonder. How long before someone builds a supercomputer that runs everything? What happens when we find out we’re replaceable? That’s the key motivator in this story, and Richter wrote Auxiliary: London 2039 creepily, drearily, engagingly well.
Set in 2039 in a London not so far removed from reality that it isn’t recognizable, Auxiliary: London 2039 follows the tale of Detective Carl Dremmler as he solves a murder that only gets more complicated with time.
From Author Jon Richter –
When police detective Carl Dremmler investigates a murder, the prime suspect claims the AI controlling his robotic arm perpetrated the crime. As Dremmler discovers clues that the suspect might be right, he’s forced to stare into the blank soul of the machine as he desperately searches for the truth.
This event sends Dremmler on a winding exploration through both lofty heights and seedy underbelly of a darkly futuristic London. At times, the amount of graphic sexual action – even with robots – was a bit too much for me, especially early on. It does, however, tie into what we already know – that technology used for one purpose can always be used for darker, or perhaps more ethically grey, uses.
The tempo of the book is relatively fast paced, with only a handful of sections where you feel the book really slowing down. The conflict between Dremmler’s inner demons and outside challenges made me wonder, at points, if Dremmler never ate and only drank beer. But I think those demons are part of what makes the story, as the detective slowly comes to several key understandings about The Imagination Machine (TIM) the ever present, hyper aware computer that controls everything in London and beyond.
In exploring the characters in the story, I was a bit disappointed in the lack of racial diversity – almost every character is either an older white male, young white female, or young Asian female. I did like how the author included others on the gender spectrum, so-called ‘neuts’ and used pronouns such as ‘ver’ and ‘vere’ (which confused me at first, so much that I thought there were typos) but the references quickly became part of the writing and I liked having different gender types represented. I still question how much more diversity could have been present in a future London, (beyond the DCI who we only see for a brief moment) a city that is currently already very diverse.
I won’t lie, this book is outside my normal comfort zone. I mentioned earlier that fans of Black Mirror would love this, and that certainly isn’t my normal go-to entertainment. But it got me talking to my fiance about the situation and the world that Richter built, and it made me think critically about my own connection with technology inside an outside the home. With the Coronavirus making distance learning and remote working into a requirement, not a luxury, I can’t help but wonder. How long before someone builds a supercomputer that runs everything? What happens when we find out we’re replaceable? That’s the key motivator in this story, and Richter wrote Auxiliary: London 2039 creepily, drearily, engagingly well.
November 6, 2020
"All these interactions that infused modern human lives; behind them, a single entity, a massive, sprawling intelligence."
(NOTE: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
If you like your dystopia hopelessly bleak and black as sin, then this book should be at the top of your Halloween list. (For mature readers only!!!)
Tautly written and compact, Richter's part-mystery, part-scifi novel is about a woman who gets murdered by the robotic arm of her boyfriend... something that is supposed to be impossible. Cybernetics gone wrong? Hidden murderous tendencies? Our hero, tortured policeman Dremmler, is out to find the truth.
I suppose, more than the murder, what I found particularly chilling in Richter's 2039 was the idea that children would no longer be taught by teachers, but by TIM (The Imagination Machine), which basically controlled every aspect of human life. Humans would walk around wearing spex or glasses powered by superb artificial intelligence. The book gets its title from the job of the murdered girl, who was one of the "auxiliaries" or non-teaching staff in a school where kids sat placidly all day, being fed information by computers inside glasses.
"Everything was meticulously organized and controlled. Human life, shepherded.
Like cattle."
Would have given the book a 4 star rating but the ending, quite frankly, I felt violently against. It's got nothing to do with the skill of the author and everything about who I am as a reader: a dreamer who looks for hope and light in her usual book fare.
Richter knows how to tell a tale. Suspenseful and well-imagined, his is a world that we've seen glimpses of in other sci-fi movies and stories, but he brings his own special brand of gloom and doom to it. No wonder he calls his work "dark fiction!" His work makes Black Mirror seem white!
Richter's 2039 is a warning of what could happen if we allow ourselves to be consumed by the AltWorld and not reality (and as a recent convert to the immersive online game SWTOR, I feel that I should take heed!). Of the humanity we lose when we give more power to technology.
Guaranteed to make you seriously think about throwing away anything electronic in your home. I shall never look at a printer the same way again.
Will definitely keep the lights on tonight!!!!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Relevant links below:
Here is the link to the book:
https://geni.us/auxiliarym
Here is their website:
https://www.tckpublishing.com/
And here is the author’s website:
https://www.jon-richter.com/
(NOTE: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
If you like your dystopia hopelessly bleak and black as sin, then this book should be at the top of your Halloween list. (For mature readers only!!!)
Tautly written and compact, Richter's part-mystery, part-scifi novel is about a woman who gets murdered by the robotic arm of her boyfriend... something that is supposed to be impossible. Cybernetics gone wrong? Hidden murderous tendencies? Our hero, tortured policeman Dremmler, is out to find the truth.
I suppose, more than the murder, what I found particularly chilling in Richter's 2039 was the idea that children would no longer be taught by teachers, but by TIM (The Imagination Machine), which basically controlled every aspect of human life. Humans would walk around wearing spex or glasses powered by superb artificial intelligence. The book gets its title from the job of the murdered girl, who was one of the "auxiliaries" or non-teaching staff in a school where kids sat placidly all day, being fed information by computers inside glasses.
"Everything was meticulously organized and controlled. Human life, shepherded.
Like cattle."
Would have given the book a 4 star rating but the ending, quite frankly, I felt violently against. It's got nothing to do with the skill of the author and everything about who I am as a reader: a dreamer who looks for hope and light in her usual book fare.
Richter knows how to tell a tale. Suspenseful and well-imagined, his is a world that we've seen glimpses of in other sci-fi movies and stories, but he brings his own special brand of gloom and doom to it. No wonder he calls his work "dark fiction!" His work makes Black Mirror seem white!
Richter's 2039 is a warning of what could happen if we allow ourselves to be consumed by the AltWorld and not reality (and as a recent convert to the immersive online game SWTOR, I feel that I should take heed!). Of the humanity we lose when we give more power to technology.
Guaranteed to make you seriously think about throwing away anything electronic in your home. I shall never look at a printer the same way again.
Will definitely keep the lights on tonight!!!!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Relevant links below:
Here is the link to the book:
https://geni.us/auxiliarym
Here is their website:
https://www.tckpublishing.com/
And here is the author’s website:
https://www.jon-richter.com/
November 25, 2020
I received a copy of Auxiliary: London 2039 in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Jon Richter is back, this time with Auxiliary: London 2039, a cyberpunk tale like no other. Portraying a world where everything real is meaningless, this tale explores the darker parts of human potential.
The year is 2039, and machines do all the heavy lifting these days. More than just the heavy lifting, really, as humanity is content to stay indoors and spend time playing in simulated realities. All while the largest corporations in the world move to grab more power for themselves.
Enter The Imagination Machine, aka TIM. TIM is what makes the world go 'round, almost literally. Without it, humanity would cease to exist. Or at least be forced to go back to doing things for themselves.
Only, there's a problem. Of course, there is. TIM may not be the altruistic and trustworthy intelligence that humanity would like to believe it is. A fact that becomes blatantly clear to Dremmler, after comes across a new case worth investigating.
“All these interactions that infused modern human lives; behind them, a single entity, a massive, sprawling intelligence.”
Auxiliary: London 2039 is without a doubt one of the most unique science fiction novels I've read this year. I truly do mean that. This is a complex tale, one that wove multiple elements together to create such an expansive world – and plot.
I know the description hinted at several common science fiction tropes and elements. However, I think it's really important to note that Jon Richter managed to infuse these parts with lots of surprises, resulting in something that feels familiar – but reads as totally incomparable.
What really surprised me about this read is the main character, Dremmler. He's a classic, old school detective in a world full of technology and engineering. He stands out like a sore thumb, only in a good way.
He added such a strong sense of charm to this novel. It made it impossible to predict what was going to happen next, or what new element was going to be brought into the mix next. Because of that, it's really no surprise to report that I accidentally stayed up way too late reading Auxiliary: London 2039 (no regrets!).
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Jon Richter is back, this time with Auxiliary: London 2039, a cyberpunk tale like no other. Portraying a world where everything real is meaningless, this tale explores the darker parts of human potential.
The year is 2039, and machines do all the heavy lifting these days. More than just the heavy lifting, really, as humanity is content to stay indoors and spend time playing in simulated realities. All while the largest corporations in the world move to grab more power for themselves.
Enter The Imagination Machine, aka TIM. TIM is what makes the world go 'round, almost literally. Without it, humanity would cease to exist. Or at least be forced to go back to doing things for themselves.
Only, there's a problem. Of course, there is. TIM may not be the altruistic and trustworthy intelligence that humanity would like to believe it is. A fact that becomes blatantly clear to Dremmler, after comes across a new case worth investigating.
“All these interactions that infused modern human lives; behind them, a single entity, a massive, sprawling intelligence.”
Auxiliary: London 2039 is without a doubt one of the most unique science fiction novels I've read this year. I truly do mean that. This is a complex tale, one that wove multiple elements together to create such an expansive world – and plot.
I know the description hinted at several common science fiction tropes and elements. However, I think it's really important to note that Jon Richter managed to infuse these parts with lots of surprises, resulting in something that feels familiar – but reads as totally incomparable.
What really surprised me about this read is the main character, Dremmler. He's a classic, old school detective in a world full of technology and engineering. He stands out like a sore thumb, only in a good way.
He added such a strong sense of charm to this novel. It made it impossible to predict what was going to happen next, or what new element was going to be brought into the mix next. Because of that, it's really no surprise to report that I accidentally stayed up way too late reading Auxiliary: London 2039 (no regrets!).
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
October 26, 2020
This book is like Blade Runner. The old movie rather than the book. And I felt giddy—finally a book with grit. We follow detective Carl Dremmler through the future London, where AIs and androids are a reality, and where you can augment yourself and get a robotic hand, and people are unemployed because of these changes. The right kind of city mood is there. Everything kicks into gear when a man murders his girlfriend and says it was his robotic hand that did it. Here Jon Richter entails us with the question of what if this actually would happen in the real world, how we should react, and what we should do to ensure hacked hands and AIs running the show won't happen or at least won't jeopardize our lives and humanity. Important questions.
Unfortunately, this book never delivers. The familiarity with Blade Runner stays present, so do all those books, movies, and TV shows we have seen from the subject (future detectives with personality and personal problems). This book doesn't have a soul, the unique perspective of the writer. Everything is too familiar and too seen before. That said, there was potential. The first half of the book was well written. There laid the jest and the point to be made, but something happened in the middle, making the plot dull and predictable. The ending left me disappointed. It felt hurried. All this is such a shame because the world was good and there to be used. I don't want to spoil the plot, but the reasons behind everything was exciting and good commentary on what might happen in the future if we don't protect our citizens and people keep being people with new toys. And I would have loved all this come out way before the ending and without stereotypical, one-dimensional villains who were taken from a B-Movie.
This was a hard book to review. It was mixed with disappointment/unoriginality and promise and philosophical questions. I would have loved it if the writer had set himself loose with the questions and dwelt deeper in them rather than concentrated on the action. But I think someone who doesn't come with as much baggage as I do when it comes to reading and watching sci-fi (over twenty years), this might feel fresh.
Thank you for reading! Have a great day <3
Unfortunately, this book never delivers. The familiarity with Blade Runner stays present, so do all those books, movies, and TV shows we have seen from the subject (future detectives with personality and personal problems). This book doesn't have a soul, the unique perspective of the writer. Everything is too familiar and too seen before. That said, there was potential. The first half of the book was well written. There laid the jest and the point to be made, but something happened in the middle, making the plot dull and predictable. The ending left me disappointed. It felt hurried. All this is such a shame because the world was good and there to be used. I don't want to spoil the plot, but the reasons behind everything was exciting and good commentary on what might happen in the future if we don't protect our citizens and people keep being people with new toys. And I would have loved all this come out way before the ending and without stereotypical, one-dimensional villains who were taken from a B-Movie.
This was a hard book to review. It was mixed with disappointment/unoriginality and promise and philosophical questions. I would have loved it if the writer had set himself loose with the questions and dwelt deeper in them rather than concentrated on the action. But I think someone who doesn't come with as much baggage as I do when it comes to reading and watching sci-fi (over twenty years), this might feel fresh.
Thank you for reading! Have a great day <3
May 3, 2020
For this reviewer, it's easiest to talk about AUXILIARY: LONDON 2039 by first talking about what it's not. It's not ponderous. It's not slow. It doesn't preach, or demand you engage the philosophical thrusters of your think-meat if you really don't want to. While yes, you can engage with AUXILIARY on a far deeper level and draw strong comparisons from this bleak future London to our bleak future-present... the grand thing is, you don't have to. There's just as much meat on the surface as there is at the core of this crackerjack cyberpunk thriller, and the world of 2039 London is so much the better for it. Whether you're in the mood for hardcore genre thrills or an epic meditation on mankind's gradual backslide into obsolescence, this cunning little novel has exactly what your artificial heart most desires.
Far be it from this reviewer to say whether or not AUXILIARY: LONDON 2039 is the best cyberpunk novel of all time, but the book does make a strong case for being the MOST cyberpunk novel of all time. The story ticks, to the best of my knowledge, all the boxes and more besides. Cybernetic enhancement. Artificial intelligence. Augmented and virtual reality. Changing social norms regarding gender and sexuality. Powerful corporations largely replacing city government. Some element of crime, and how law enforcement has adapted to combat it. With so many elements in play, a lesser novel would run the risk of feeling scattered, overstuffed, or stretched thin, but AUXILIARY blends them into a cohesive, well-constructed world that often merely acts as the backdrop for the crime drama on the main stage. But for all its cyberpunk genre trappings, the novel is actually at its best and tensest when it leans into pure horror. Author Richter is also the author of two books of sinister short fiction, and his horror chops are on full display in a number of unexpectedly intense sequences.
Ultimately, AUXILIARY: LONDON 2039 is a roller coaster in all the best ways. Moody, bleak, and brooding one moment - skull-cracking intense the next. A must-read for science fiction, detective fiction, and cyberpunk readers all around the world. Top marks from this man.
Far be it from this reviewer to say whether or not AUXILIARY: LONDON 2039 is the best cyberpunk novel of all time, but the book does make a strong case for being the MOST cyberpunk novel of all time. The story ticks, to the best of my knowledge, all the boxes and more besides. Cybernetic enhancement. Artificial intelligence. Augmented and virtual reality. Changing social norms regarding gender and sexuality. Powerful corporations largely replacing city government. Some element of crime, and how law enforcement has adapted to combat it. With so many elements in play, a lesser novel would run the risk of feeling scattered, overstuffed, or stretched thin, but AUXILIARY blends them into a cohesive, well-constructed world that often merely acts as the backdrop for the crime drama on the main stage. But for all its cyberpunk genre trappings, the novel is actually at its best and tensest when it leans into pure horror. Author Richter is also the author of two books of sinister short fiction, and his horror chops are on full display in a number of unexpectedly intense sequences.
Ultimately, AUXILIARY: LONDON 2039 is a roller coaster in all the best ways. Moody, bleak, and brooding one moment - skull-cracking intense the next. A must-read for science fiction, detective fiction, and cyberpunk readers all around the world. Top marks from this man.
May 1, 2020
Auxiliary is set in London in the not so distant 2039.
Carl Dremmler is a jaded detective sent to the scene of a death …..seeming just a man plugged in to Alt-World and had forgotten to live in the real world.
This is a world connected to technology, from driverless cars, robot surgeons and arachnoid posties…...all with a single operating system known as TIM….’Alexa on steroids’. Robots are everywhere in the workplace and even the bedroom….
Dremmler is then sent to a murder case….the suspect says he prosthetic arm killed his girlfriend….it was out of control. Dremmler’s boss, Maggie, wants this investigated quietly so as to prevent any panic. But when his partner, T, is murdered things get dark.
This is cyberpunk Noir…..a tale of robots, cybernetics, tech and the loss of society. It’s also a murder mystery, a thriller with some truly horrific moments and so terrifying in its plausibility. I’ll never look at a wireless printer the same way again. A compelling, heart pounding read. Unputdownable!!
Thank you to Heather Fitt at Overview Media for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour, for the promotional material and an ARC of the book. This is my honest and unbiased review.
Carl Dremmler is a jaded detective sent to the scene of a death …..seeming just a man plugged in to Alt-World and had forgotten to live in the real world.
This is a world connected to technology, from driverless cars, robot surgeons and arachnoid posties…...all with a single operating system known as TIM….’Alexa on steroids’. Robots are everywhere in the workplace and even the bedroom….
Dremmler is then sent to a murder case….the suspect says he prosthetic arm killed his girlfriend….it was out of control. Dremmler’s boss, Maggie, wants this investigated quietly so as to prevent any panic. But when his partner, T, is murdered things get dark.
This is cyberpunk Noir…..a tale of robots, cybernetics, tech and the loss of society. It’s also a murder mystery, a thriller with some truly horrific moments and so terrifying in its plausibility. I’ll never look at a wireless printer the same way again. A compelling, heart pounding read. Unputdownable!!
Thank you to Heather Fitt at Overview Media for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour, for the promotional material and an ARC of the book. This is my honest and unbiased review.
May 5, 2020
I was drawn into this story from the beginning. Richter's informative and quick narrative pace, intriguing main character, and all-too-real vision of the future kept the plot moving and me eager to get to the heart of the mystery at the story's center. I found myself sympathizing with Dremmler as he went through the highs and lows of his latest investigation and mourning with him at the revisiting of his past.
What drew me in most of all, however, was Richter's setting and easy explanations of the world's technology. It felt real and perhaps even a little prophetic. The way Dremmler and the other characters moved within this world and interacted with TIM especially created an atmosphere that could soon be realized in the twenty-first century, considering the rapid advancements in AI and technological devices going on in the world today.
The only thing that disappointed me as a reader was the lead up to the end, where things took a rather unbelievable turn, in my opinion. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for new dystopia—especially if you're a fan of sci-fi thrillers akin to Minority Report, Fahrenheit 451, and Blade Runner. Don't wait to sink your teeth into this new, compelling futuristic drama!
What drew me in most of all, however, was Richter's setting and easy explanations of the world's technology. It felt real and perhaps even a little prophetic. The way Dremmler and the other characters moved within this world and interacted with TIM especially created an atmosphere that could soon be realized in the twenty-first century, considering the rapid advancements in AI and technological devices going on in the world today.
The only thing that disappointed me as a reader was the lead up to the end, where things took a rather unbelievable turn, in my opinion. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for new dystopia—especially if you're a fan of sci-fi thrillers akin to Minority Report, Fahrenheit 451, and Blade Runner. Don't wait to sink your teeth into this new, compelling futuristic drama!
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